On
Friday we saw another important step being taken towards a new era for Cornwall
with the signing of a historic £360 million devolution deal between the
Government and Cornwall Council.
This
historic deal, which transfers additional money and power into the hands of
local leaders in Cornwall, is the first single county deal of its kind to be
announced and shows the Duchy leading the way once again. This deal will now go
out for public consultation before Cornwall Council makes a final decision next
year.
I
am pleased to see that we are now building on the previous 2015 devolution deal
for Cornwall and taking the next step towards unlocking further benefits of
devolution for the half a million people who live here.
Some
of the key features of the deal include Cornwall’s first ever long-term, fully
devolved investment fund of £360m guaranteed for the next 30 years; Powers to
improve local skills to ensure these meet the needs of the local economy; £8.7
million to support the building of new homes on brownfield land; An additional
£500,000 for transport planning to support the area to improve key transport
infrastructure priorities and new powers to drive the regeneration of Cornwall
and to build more affordable homes.
There
is also up to £10 million for housing and heritage-led regeneration to support
the delivery of locally determined priorities in Cornwall, and £500,000 of
funding to protect and promote the Cornish language.
The
deal also includes a commitment from government to work with Cornwall to finds
ways to better manage the impact of second homes and holiday lets.
This
significant deal could also mark a new era of political leadership by
establishing a different relationship with the Government for Cornwall. This
presents a huge opportunity for Cornwall and gives us the chance to obtain more
decision-making powers and millions of pounds of additional investment to
deliver on priorities for the people of Cornwall.
There
has been a lot of speculation and rumour about the devolution deal, however,
now that this ground-breaking announcement has been made, people can see for
themselves exactly what this will mean for Cornwall rather than taking other
peoples’ word for it: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cornwall-devolution-deal-kevambos-digresennans-kernow
I
want to make it clear that this is the start of that journey, not the end, and
what’s in the immediate deal, although very positive, is not the end of the
story. The devolution deal will provide Cornwall with the basis to continue to
negotiate with the government for more additional funding and powers to make
the changes we want to see here happen.
There
has also been much misunderstanding about what a Mayor will mean for Cornwall.
Instead of 87 councillors choosing who will lead Cornwall Council, everyone
living in Cornwall will be able to have a say on who will lead the Duchy.
This
is not about creating another layer of bureaucracy, but about ensuring the
Leader is elected by the people of Cornwall, who best understand what Cornwall
needs. This will give the council leader a greater democratic mandate and can
be directly held to account by the people of Cornwall.
The
devolution deal will also give the Duchy a much higher profile and puts us
around the table with people like the Mayors of London, Greater Manchester and
West Midlands.
A
lot has been said about what this deal will mean for Cornwall, but I hope
people can now see for themselves and make up their own mind rather than
listening to speculation and rumours.
There
will now be a comprehensive consultation by Cornwall Council to listen to the
views of people across Cornwall and I would encourage everyone to have their
say and feed into that conversation. The 10-week consultation is set to begin
on 9 December and if supported, the election of a Mayor for Cornwall will take
place in May 2024.
I
now look forward to working with my colleagues in Westminster and Cornwall
Council to progress this important deal which has the potential to drive real
improvements and outcomes for the people of Cornwall.
As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726 829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk
