Cornwall County Council
Encyclopedia
Cornwall Council is the unitary authority
for Cornwall
, in England, United Kingdom. The council, and its predecessor Cornwall County Council, has a tradition of large groups of independents
, having been controlled by independents in the 1970s and 1980s. As of the 2009 election, it is run by a Conservative-Independent coalition.
Cornwall Council provides a wide range of services to more than half a million residents, has an annual budget of more than £1 billion and is the biggest employer in Cornwall with a staff of over 22,000. It is responsible for schools, social services, rubbish collection, roads, planning and more.
Cornwall's unitary authority, as its bid document endorsed by Parliament states, is a "stepping stone to a Cornish Assembly
". It has been suggested that powers and privileges, belonging to the Duchy
and Stannaries of Cornwall, could be merged with the unitary authority to achieve this goal. In November 2010, British Prime Minister David Cameron
said that his government would "devolve a lot of power to Cornwall - that will go to the Cornish unitary authority." Talks are currently under way between the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
and a cross party group, including the six Cornish MPs, as to how to bring about the devolution of powers to Cornwall.
Various fact finding missions have been organised by councillors to study how other regions and small nations of europe govern themselves successfully. In 2011 Andrew Long of Mebyon Kernow
was invited to visit the Estonian
Parliament by Aare Heinvee MP of the Reformierakond (Reform Party). He said that it was "a great opportunity to see how a small nation can run its own affairs while being an equal and active part of a wider Europe." Independent councillor Bert Biscoe organised a fact finding mission to Guernsey
in 2011 to see if the island's system of government could be adapted to work in Cornwall.
six districts, Caradon
, Carrick
, Kerrier
, North Cornwall
, Penwith
, and Restormel
. The Council of the Isles of Scilly was and remains a separate unitary authority.
On 5 December 2007, the Government confirmed that Cornwall would move to unitary status. This was enacted by statutory instrument
as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
, The changes took effect on 1 April 2009. On that date the six districts and Cornwall County Council were abolished and were replaced by Cornwall Council.
On 29 January 2009, the Cornwall Council Implementation Executive decided to revert to using the former County Council logo with just a change in name from "Cornwall County Council" to "Cornwall Council".
In March 2009, the leader of Cornwall County Council David Whalley announced he would be standing down as a councillor, complaining of personal attacks against him.
The current logo features a chough
and the 15 Cornish golden bezants on a black field as used in the arms of the Duchy of Cornwall
.
members, nine Conservatives
, five Labour
, one from the small Liberal Party
with the remaining 19 seats held by Independent candidates. Mebyon Kernow
had no county councillors, but nine district councillors, before the two-tier system was abolished.
The Lib Dems lost overall control of Cornwall Council to 'no overall control' - this means that no single party has overall control of the new council despite the Conservatives have the largest number of councillors, however they do not have enough for a majority control. The cabinet of the council was therefore formed as a coalition between the Conservatives and the Independent bloc. The Conservatives received 34% of the vote (50 seats), followed by the Liberal Democrats on 28% (38 seats), the Independents on 23% (32 seats) and Mebyon Kernow on 4% (3 seats). The turnout was 41%. Labour, the Green Party, UKIP and the BNP failed to secure any seats in Cornwall.
The following table shows party control of the Cornwall Council and its predecessor Cornwall County Council, following each election since 1973.
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
for Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, in England, United Kingdom. The council, and its predecessor Cornwall County Council, has a tradition of large groups of independents
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, having been controlled by independents in the 1970s and 1980s. As of the 2009 election, it is run by a Conservative-Independent coalition.
Cornwall Council provides a wide range of services to more than half a million residents, has an annual budget of more than £1 billion and is the biggest employer in Cornwall with a staff of over 22,000. It is responsible for schools, social services, rubbish collection, roads, planning and more.
Cornwall's unitary authority, as its bid document endorsed by Parliament states, is a "stepping stone to a Cornish Assembly
Cornish Assembly
The Cornish Assembly is a proposed devolved regional assembly for Cornwall in the United Kingdom along the lines of the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly.-Overview:...
". It has been suggested that powers and privileges, belonging to the Duchy
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
and Stannaries of Cornwall, could be merged with the unitary authority to achieve this goal. In November 2010, British Prime Minister David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
said that his government would "devolve a lot of power to Cornwall - that will go to the Cornish unitary authority." Talks are currently under way between the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
and a cross party group, including the six Cornish MPs, as to how to bring about the devolution of powers to Cornwall.
Various fact finding missions have been organised by councillors to study how other regions and small nations of europe govern themselves successfully. In 2011 Andrew Long of Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow is a left-of-centre political party in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It primarily campaigns for devolution to Cornwall in the form of a Cornish Assembly, as well as social democracy and environmental protection.MK was formed as a pressure group in 1951, and contained as members activists...
was invited to visit the Estonian
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
Parliament by Aare Heinvee MP of the Reformierakond (Reform Party). He said that it was "a great opportunity to see how a small nation can run its own affairs while being an equal and active part of a wider Europe." Independent councillor Bert Biscoe organised a fact finding mission to Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
in 2011 to see if the island's system of government could be adapted to work in Cornwall.
Establishment of the unitary authority
Before April 2009, Cornwall was administered as a non-metropolitan county by the Cornwall County Council withsix districts, Caradon
Caradon
Caradon was a local government district in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It contained five towns: Callington, Liskeard, Looe, Saltash and Torpoint, and over 80 villages and hamlets within 41 civil parishes...
, Carrick
Carrick, Cornwall
Carrick was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Its council was based in Truro. The main centres of population, industry and commerce were the city of Truro and the towns of Falmouth/Penryn....
, Kerrier
Kerrier
Kerrier was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It was the most southerly district in the United Kingdom, other than the Isles of Scilly. Its council was based in Camborne ....
, North Cornwall
North Cornwall
North Cornwall was the largest of the six local government districts of Cornwall, United Kingdom. Its council was based in Wadebridge . Other towns in the district included Bude, Bodmin, Launceston, Padstow, and Camelford....
, Penwith
Penwith
Penwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...
, and Restormel
Restormel
Restormel was a borough of Cornwall, United Kingdom, one of the six administrative divisions that made up the county. Its council was based in St Austell . Other towns included Newquay....
. The Council of the Isles of Scilly was and remains a separate unitary authority.
On 5 December 2007, the Government confirmed that Cornwall would move to unitary status. This was enacted by statutory instrument
Statutory Instrument
A Statutory Instrument is the principal form in which delegated or secondary legislation is made in Great Britain.Statutory Instruments are governed by the Statutory Instruments Act 1946. They replaced Statutory Rules and Orders, made under the Rules Publication Act 1893, in 1948.Most delegated...
as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
2009 structural changes to local government in England
Structural changes to local government in England were effected on 1 April 2009, whereby a number of new unitary authorities were created in parts of the country which previously operated a 'two-tier' system of counties and districts...
, The changes took effect on 1 April 2009. On that date the six districts and Cornwall County Council were abolished and were replaced by Cornwall Council.
Logo controversy
The original proposals for a new logo and motto for Cornwall's new unitary authority were met with widespread criticism from the general public with demands that the old logo and motto be kept.On 29 January 2009, the Cornwall Council Implementation Executive decided to revert to using the former County Council logo with just a change in name from "Cornwall County Council" to "Cornwall Council".
In March 2009, the leader of Cornwall County Council David Whalley announced he would be standing down as a councillor, complaining of personal attacks against him.
The current logo features a chough
Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
and the 15 Cornish golden bezants on a black field as used in the arms of the Duchy of Cornwall
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
.
Name changes
On the creation of the new unitary authority it was decided that the name of the council would be changed from Cornwall County Council to Cornwall Council (Konsel Kernow). It has also been decided by the council to change the name of their meeting place from New County Hall to Lys Kernow (Cornwall Hall) so as to not use the term county.Composition
Cornwall Council is currently controlled by no overall majority. Composition of Cornwall Council since November 2011:| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | ||
| 40 | ||
| 29 | ||
| 5 | ||
| 1 | ||
| 1 | ||
| Total | 123 | |
| Source: | ||
2009 Cornwall Council elections
Elections for the new unitary Cornwall Council were held on 4 June 2009 and there were 123 members elected, replacing the previous 82 councillors on Cornwall County Council and the 249 on the six district councils. The outgoing Cornwall County Council had 48 Liberal DemocratLiberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
members, nine Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, five Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, one from the small Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK, 1989)
The Liberal Party is a United Kingdom political party. It was formed in 1989 by a group of individuals within the original Liberal Party who felt that the merger of the party with the Social Democratic Party, to form the Liberal Democrats, had ended the spirit of the Liberal Party, claiming that...
with the remaining 19 seats held by Independent candidates. Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow
Mebyon Kernow is a left-of-centre political party in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It primarily campaigns for devolution to Cornwall in the form of a Cornish Assembly, as well as social democracy and environmental protection.MK was formed as a pressure group in 1951, and contained as members activists...
had no county councillors, but nine district councillors, before the two-tier system was abolished.
The Lib Dems lost overall control of Cornwall Council to 'no overall control' - this means that no single party has overall control of the new council despite the Conservatives have the largest number of councillors, however they do not have enough for a majority control. The cabinet of the council was therefore formed as a coalition between the Conservatives and the Independent bloc. The Conservatives received 34% of the vote (50 seats), followed by the Liberal Democrats on 28% (38 seats), the Independents on 23% (32 seats) and Mebyon Kernow on 4% (3 seats). The turnout was 41%. Labour, the Green Party, UKIP and the BNP failed to secure any seats in Cornwall.
2009 St Austell Bay by-election
In a by-election in the St Austell Bay electoral ward on 26 November 2009, the Liberal Democrats gained the seat from the Conservatives. Three parties contested the seat, the Liberal Democrats got 48% of the vote, the Conservatives got 47%, and Labour got 5%.2010 Stithians defection
In August 2010, Councillor Neil Plummer of Stithians left the Independent group and joined Mebyon Kernow.2011 Camborne North by-election
Labour gained their first seat on the council in January 2011 after winning a by-election in the Camborne North ward by 27 votes. This was a gain from the Conservative Party, after their councillor resigned.2011 Liskeard North defection
In June 2011 Liskeard North councillor Jan Powell defected from the Conservatives to join the Liberal Democrats.2011 Wendron by-election
In a by-election for the Wendron seat in November 2011 Loveday Jenkin of Mebyon Kernow was elected, gaining from an independent.Council history
| Year | Control |
|---|
| 1973 United Kingdom local elections, 1973 The first elections to the new local authorities established by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales and the new Northern Ireland district councils created by the Local Government Act 1972 took place in 1973... |
| 1977 United Kingdom local elections, 1977 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1977. The results were a major mid-term setback for the Labour government, and the Conservatives comprehensively regained control of the Greater London Council with 64 seats against Labour's 28.... |
| 1981 United Kingdom local elections, 1981 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in May 1981. The results were a mid-term setback for the Conservative government, which lost 1,193 seats, leaving them with 10,545 councillors. The projected share of the vote was more respectable for the government, however: Labour 41%,... |
| 1985 United Kingdom local elections, 1985 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1985. The projected share of the vote was Labour 39%, Conservative 32%, Liberal-SDP Alliance 26%. In terms of seats, both Conservatives and Labour lost some ground to the benefit of the Liberal-SDP Alliance.... |
| 1989 United Kingdom local elections, 1989 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1989. The Labour Party performed better in terms of vote share, but the Conservative incumbents gained most in terms of seats.The national projected share of the vote was Labour 42%, Conservative 36%, Democrats 19%... |
| 1993 United Kingdom local elections, 1993 Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1993. The results showed a decline for the governing Conservative Party with the third placed party, the Liberal Democrats, as the main beneficiaries in terms of seats.... |
| 1997 United Kingdom local elections, 1997 The United Kingdom local elections took place on the 1 May, 1997. Elections took place for all of the English shire counties, some English unitary authorities and all of the Northern Ireland districts... |
| 2001 United Kingdom local elections, 2001 Local elections took place in some parts of the UK on the 7 June 2001. Elections took place for all of the English shire counties, some English unitary authorities and all of the Northern Ireland districts... |
| 2005 United Kingdom local elections, 2005 Elections for local government were held in the England and Northern Ireland on 5 May 2005 along with the 2005 general election across the entire United Kingdom... |
| 2009 United Kingdom local elections, 2009 The 2009 United Kingdom local elections were elections held to all 27 County Councils, three existing Unitary Authorities and five new Unitary Authorities, all in England, on 4 June 2009... |