In July this year, Cornwall Council backed a motion calling on the Government to formally recognise Cornwall as the fifth nation of the United Kingdom, alongside England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland/the north of Ireland. In particular, Councillor Leigh Frost, the leader of Cornwall Council stated:
“This is not a slogan or a branding exercise. It is a statement of fact and a declaration of intent. We’re ready to take our place. We’re ready to be heard. And we’re ready to shape our future on our own terms.”
In response to this motion, a number of voluntary organisations and individuals came together to sign a joint letter addressed to Cllr Leigh Frost urging him to convene a citizens assembly where he would have the opportunity to elaborate on the theme of Cornish identity and how “to shape our future on our own terms” would work out in practice. You can see the letter below.
Specifically, the proposed citizens assembly would address these two key questions
- What are the constitutional rights, powers and resources that Cornwall needs to make that happen? Do these include fiscal powers? Powers over housing and planning?
- Does the transfer of real power stop at Cornwall Council? Or will parish councils and local communities also have real power “to shape their own future”?
Cornwall Council’s negotiating hand with Westminster will be greatly strengthened if it has the backing of a broad section of the public in the form of a citizens assembly. But the strength of that public backing will ultimately depend on the Council’s willingness to share power in a way that enables local people and communities to have a greater say in the decisions and services that affect their lives.
That is true not just of Cornwall Council but of any public service operating in Cornwall. We need to wrest back power from distant and opaque organisations who too often ignore local voices, withhold funding and over-rule local democratic decisions in favour of a Whitehall agenda or that of arms-length quangos.
The New Kows 
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