Mabe: Housing numbers and Rural Parishes

The draft Cornwall Local Plan envisages that 500 dwellings will be added over a 20 year period to the existing housing stock in the rural Parishes of  Perranarworthal, Mylor, St Gluvias, Mabe, Budock, Constantine and Mawnan.  These Parishes comprise the rural elements of the Falmouth and Penryn Community Network Area

500 dwellings points towards an average additional 25 dwellings per year which equates to about 4 per year for each of the seven rural Parishes.  Expectation of local communities is of small scale developments: infills, use of brownfield sites and the like.  Not massive developments on agricultural land.  Indeed it can be no coincidence that Parish Plans, formulated before the initial consultation on the Cornwall Local Plan identify housing number increases in line with this average.

On Thursday 7th February Cornwall Council's Strategic Planning Committee considered a planning application for 90 dwellings in Mabe; more dwellings that the Parish Plan, based on extensive local consultation, expects for a 20 year period.  The Parish Council did not support the planning application on a number of grounds including the scale of the development, loss of a 'buffer strip', loss of grade 3a agricultural land and road safety concerns.

In case anyone should suspect a local nimbyism tendency this is not borne out by the fact that Mabe's dwelling numbers increased by 15% in the 20 years to 2010, against 14% for the entire Community Network Area, with the Parish Council having also supported the very extensive development of the University Campus at Tremough.  As an aside I suspect that in hosting Exeter University and Falmouth University, with Plymouth University operating the Tremough Innovation Centre, that Mabe Parish is home to more Universities then any other UK rural Parish.

Countering the over-development issue is the local affordable housing requirements.  The Planning Officer recommended approval on a number of grounds including the fact that 30% of the dwellings would be affordable, with the majority for rent at well below open market rates.  I have in recent years assisted a number of individuals and families with strong connections to Mabe who, through local affordable housing shortages, have to live elsewhere.  

My presentation to the Planning Committee - available as a webcast at http://connect.cornwall.public-i.tv/site/player/pl_v7.php?a=93891&t=&m=flash&l=en_GB - sought to address what are conflicting issues and whilst I started from the over-development position, reflecting the Parish Plan, did pay regard to all the issues.

Earlier in the meeting the chairman had made it clear that he would not allow members to question the local member - personally I'd have preferred to answer members questions to ensure that they had the fullest possible understanding of the issues - but instead had to say all I wanted to in one go.  This meant that I had to anticipate all possible outcomes including that the planning application might be approved and if it was I had to seek to secure the best deal for the local community.  Doing this without wanting to be seen to be in favour of or opposed to the application required a tight rope walking job.

The Planning Officer's recommendations including developer funded financial contributions to education, transport and open spaces.  I felt that any monies should be focused on local needs, rather than 'lost' to Cornwall wide budgets.  I am pleased that the Committee adopted my proposal that:

• the £164,160 school places contribution should be focused on Mabe Primary School,
• the transport improvement sum of £135,000 should, in part, be allocated to the planned Kernick roundabout pedestrian crossing with the balance allocated to Mabe Parish Council for other improvements,
• the £170,000 for 'open spaces' should be all allocated to Mabe Parish Council to ensure it is spent in accordance with local needs.

All-in-all I remain uneasy that the views of the local community, as set out in the Parish Plan, have been overlooked as regards housing numbers.  This does not sit easily with the localism agenda.  On the other hand the financial gains for the local community are not insignificant.  For example the Kernick pedestrian crossing, across the A39, will improve the 'walk to school' routes for Mabe Primary School and Penryn College whilst allowing greatly improved pedestrian access to retail outlets and Kernick Industrial Estate.

Did the Strategic Planning Committee make the right decision?  On the balance of all the material considerations I think they did.

 

Cornwall Council Tax: the case for no increase

Cornwall Council has published proposals for a 1.97% increase in Council tax for 2013/14.  This percentage is conveniently below the 2% level which would trigger a referendum.

Council tax is set by a meeting of all the councillors and whilst Cornwall Council's Cabinet have a duty to prove guidance on the level of Council tax they do not make the final decision. 

There has been some complaints that Central Government have somehow been unfair in their funding of local authorities, as the Coalition Government continues to address the financial mess it inherited from the last Labour Government.  These complaints carry little weight as increasingly it is accepted across the political spectrum that the Government has to balance the books.  It is impossible to continue to have expenditure exceed income with borrowing, repayable by future generations, filling the gap in the UK's finances.

Austerity is a necessary evil with the duty of Government to make certain that funding allocation is as fair as possible.  It is only right and proper that local authorities play their part in that process.

The argument will likely be trotted out at some stage that the proposed increase in Council tax is a matter of "a few pence a week per household".  This is clearly true however misses the bigger picture.

A quick look at the economic landscape shows there to be a number of these "few pence a week" demands on purses and wallets.  These include domestic fuel ( http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/rmr/smr/Pages/indicators.aspx ) and motor vehicle fuel (  http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/take/oil-and-gas-price-forecast-for-2013/305 ).  Then there is food price inflation ( http://www.effp.com/knowledge-bank/price-forecast-analysis/effp_latest_forecast.aspx ) and the capping of welfare benefits as part of the austerity programme ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/9788019/Capping-welfare-benefits-is-the-moral-thing-to-do.html ).    It is worth pointing out that some of these factors are beyond any Governments control such as the price of crude oil however the Chancellor has shown himself willing to moderate the price of fuel at the pumps by scrapping the planned fuel duty escalation rise last Autumn ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/dec/05/george-osborne-fuel-duty-autumn-statement ).  Offsetting these inflationary effects will be the rise in personal tax allowances taking effect in April 2013 which will reduce tax bills by up to £267 per year for standard rate tax payers.

There are many other inflationary pressures which in aggregate are far more than "a few pence a week".  It seems to me that Cornwall Council needs to remain a part of the austerity solution by continuing to exercise discipline to keep Council tax rates unchanged.  If it were to approve an increase, in part to fund the 20% increase in councillors' allowances, then I would regard the Council as failing to respond to the financial pressures facing individuals and families, many of whom are seeing no increase in their pre-tax incomes.

On the subject of councillors' allowances I voted not to increase them and am hopeful that before too long the Council has a further opportunity to discuss this issue and consider whether to reverse its previous decision.

Number of MPs

There has been some commentary in recent days about the possibility that Westminster may retain 650 MPs due to a potential decision by Lib Dem MPs to withdraw their previous commitment to reducing the number of Constituencies.  This has been seen in Cornwall as removal of the threat of a 'Devonwall' constituency.

However accepting that there should be a reduction in the number of MPs - why should they not bear at least some of the necessary reductions in staffing levels seen elsewhere across swathes of the public sector - I wonder if there is an alternative way forward for at least one political party to adopt for their next manifesto.

If it was accepted, nationally, that Cornwall should have a number of exclusive Constituencies - an approach which I support - then there is some logic to suggest that Cornwall's electorate figure should determine the number of MPs across the UK.  Based on the latest statistics if Cornwall had 5 MPs then, on a proportionate number of electors per Constituency, there would be 563 MPs; this would represent a 13.5% reduction from the current 650.  Adjusting Cornwall's MPs to 4 would reduce the total number to 450, a 30.8% reduction.

Olympic Torch Relay

Strange that at a time when there are so many important issues to be addressed that the next meeting of Cornwall Council has to deal with a motion on the status of the Chairman.  As the motion merely restates what is already the agreed position it does beg the question as to whether the motion is a good use of councillors time. 

Also odd that the motion assumes that Cornwall Council will be represented at Lands End and RNAS Culdrose when, of course, the decisions as to who to invite will rest with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.  Some councillors seem to assume that Cornwall Council is so important that there is no question it will be invited to send representatives.

I was under the impression that it is bad manners to expect an invitation and to be pleased if one is received.

Lib Dems: Still keen on spending Taxpayers' Money

I understand from a journalist that Cornwall's Lib Dems have issued a press release attacking the decision to put out for review future options for Cornwall Newquay Airport.  They are quoted to me as having called the decision evidence of a 'fire sale'.

I sincerely hope that the journalist is mistaken as otherwise it would mean that the Lib Dems:

• May have read into a Cornwall Council press release something that is not contained within it,
• Are not supportive of reviewing Cornwall Council's cost base,
• Are not supportive of optimising the value of the Airport to the Cornish economy and the creation of jobs,
• Have learn nothing from their financial management of Cornwall County Council as evidenced in the damning reports from the Audit Commission,
• Continue to believe that money grows on trees or at least feel it right to spend taxpayers money without exercising financial prudence.

Liberal Democrats: Friends of Cornwall?

I confess I'd put aside the awful state of affairs that the Cornwall Council Conservative/Independent Administration inherited from the Liberal Democrats following the electorate's very sensible decision to boot them out of power from New County Hall in 2009.  However the awfulness of the Lib Dem legacy came rushing back into focus when I read the press release from Stephen Gilbert MP (St Austell and Newquay) on his opposition to the budget allocated to the Olympic Torch Relay.

To recap; the Lib Dems performance in Cornwall County Council amassed a sizeable collection of  'red flags'.  That was the Administration that botched the transfer of  Newquay Airport from the RAF leading to its closure and was responsible for putting the Fire Brigade and Childrens' safeguarding into interventions.  Those failures being only the tip of an iceberg of inept political leadership.

The Newquay Airport fiasco was not a 'one off' but rather evidence of an appalling lack of attention to risk management.  Soultions to all of these problems, and many more besides, have kept the current Administration busy whilst, at the same time, it has introduced fiscal prudence and set the Council on a journey to sustainable superior performance as already recognised in reports from various external auditing bodies and nominations for awards.

I'm sure that most of us want to live in a economically successful County rather than one which, for too long, has failed to achieve its potential.  To me having Objective 1 and, more recently, Convergence status are not badges of honour bur rather symbols of failure.

I had mistakenly believed that all politicians, irrespective of their beliefs, would want to see Cornwall and its people prosper.  Initially when I read Stephen Gilbert's comments I regarded him as a lone voice which, with a few minutes consideration, all other members of the Lib Dems would want to disassociate themselves from.  But no, the opportunity to put Cornwall down, again, has proved too strong for some of them to avoid.

The Olympic Torch Relay provides a unique opportunity to promote Cornwall to national, European and worldwide audiences.  The budgeted cost, of which over 50% is for road closures, security, first aid support and other necessary expenditures, will be in line with the costs which other Counties, and indeed Cities, will have to bear if they are on the Torch's route.  However, unlike them we are the starting point for the relay on Great Britain which, being a Saturday, enables us to reach not only people outside Cornwall but also the majority of the Cornish population.

The economic benefits hold out the prospect of being enormous, particularly well-timed as the Relay is at the beginning of the peak holiday season.  Coincidentally I met someone yesterday who is involved with the ticket office at the Lost Gardens of Heligan who reported that following last week's television programme on the Gardens, attendance has rocketted from both Cornish and non-Cornish visitors.  Even without any detailed consideration of figures it does not take a genius to extrapolate that effect across Cornwall when we appear on television news programmes, Sunday papers and other media outlets.  The benefits have every likelihood of lasting a long time and, rather than diverting the initial budget elsewhere to front-line services, we instead have the prospect of leveraging that budget into something far more significant to the long term advantage of Cornwall Council's front-line services.

The week ahead of the Torch Relay is Cornwall Business Week.  By attracting targetted journalists to come and experience the economic renaissance which is taking place in Cornwall, such as Wave Hub, Superfast Broadband, Combined Universities, Innovation Centres, Marine Energy Park, Heartlands, can be expected not just to extol Cornwall as a tourist destination but also as a suitable base for businesses and jobs.

Whilst I'm disappointed by Stephen Gilbert's comments they do, unfortunately, seem to fit into a pattern whereby some Lib Dems 'talk Cornwall down'.  Hopefully there are more strategically minded Lib Dems who will correct this view.

Port of Falmouth and the Chancellor of the Exchequer

Whilst the publicity surrounding the Chancellor's visit to Cornwall focused on the economic and job prospects arising from the successful bid for an Enterprise Zone at Newquay airport, he also gave time to understand the opportunities that the implementation of the Falmouth Harbour Masterplan would create.  The Masterplan identifies hundreds of new jobs and a major boost to the Cornish economy, including marine renewable energy developments and an increase in cruise liner tourists who would have opportunities to travel to attractions across Cornwall. 

 

Attending the meeting were Sarah Newton MP, Peter Childs and Mike Reynolds of A&P Falmouth, Mark Samson of the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners and myself.

Perranwell Station and the Financial Times

The  story so far; copies of the FT were noticeable by their absence in the Perranwell Stores last weekend so a request to the FT for explanation has produced this response:



Thanks for letting us know: we are investigating what may have happened, generally this outlet receives around 7 copies at the weeekend.  We certainly didn't do anything here to stop that, I suspect a packing error by our wholesaler but we will find out.

I note also from the figures that sales of the FT Mon-Fri at this shop are rarer than a Cornish suntan this year.  Can't interest you in a print subscription, I suppose??

Martin Ashford
UK Circulation Director

The Strange Case of the Missing Opposition

For some time I've puzzled as to why the Lib Dems in Cornwall Council are not providing strong opposition.  They are clearly an intelligent group of people who, like councillors of all political beliefs, are committed and passionate about their communities and the overall good of Cornwall.

Despite all the changes being made in Cornwall Council, which I regard as positive for Cornwall although I accept that some have a different view, the Lib Dems have restricted themselves to, in effect, saying "we disagree" without proposing alternative courses of action.  Twice they have voted against the annual budgets and on both occasions have not tabled alternatives.

I've come to the conclusion that their focus on being negative reflects an overwhelming desire to avoid facing difficult decisions.  They appear to have no strategy and are therefore forced into being tactical.  They are good at expressing negative views on individual items of policy although generally without proposing alternatives.

They made a 'song and dance' over a tourism tax, even though it was not part of Cornwall Council policy, yet failed until it was dragged out of them to acknowledge that a hotel tax is one of their official policies!  As is often the case, they took the line that they do not support their own Party's national policy.  Will the real Lib Dems please stand up!

Currently it feels as if the Conservative/Independent administration is like one of those wagon trains you see in Western movies.  It has a sense of purpose and direction and although it will suffer a few losses to marauding  native North America people (aka Lib Dems) is not being seriously hampered in its strategic objective of reaching its destination.

A focus on tactical issues, without an overarching strategy, does leave you vulnerable to supporting far more than the budget will allow.  This suggests why they are, nationally, increasingly seeking to take over Labour's mantle as the high tax Party.  It appears that they want to retain the 50% income tax rate for higher earners, charge higher rates on lower incomes and, in the Coalition negotiations, insisted on increasing capital gains tax from 18% to 28% without reinstating any reliefs.  This places them firmly as the Party who want to increase the tax burden on the middle class which would harm the international competitive position of the UK to the detriment of all, including those paid the least.

Cornwall's Rail Services

Whilst we will need to influence the next rail franchise for future rail services, following First Great Western's decision to exercise a contractual option to terminate early the existing franchise, to ensure reliability, affordability and frequency of trains the good news is that rail travel is making an increased contribution to journeys within Cornwall.  Also the plans to secure faster services between Cornwall and London remain on course. 

Cornwall's branch line network saw journey numbers increase by 6.3% (over 2009) to 1.69m in 2010 with early indications of further substantial increase in 2011.

For details see appendix 4 to http://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=3140&T=10

Election Results

A mixed bag of results.

By far the most profound is the SNP success and, when all other results are forgotten in a few years as political fortunes change (as they will), I wonder if we will look back on Thursday 6 May as the day that started the beginning of the end game in the final move towards Scotland's independence.  And if Scotland achieve independence through the ballot box, can Wales be far behind?

Probably best not to speculate on Cornwall's status..........at this stage.

Funding for Cornish Schools

Interesting that the BBC has only just caught up with this issue on 4 May: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-13277196

It has already been addressed by Cornwall Council under the subject of 'Championing Children, Championing Excellence' at various meetings, including those of 11 April http://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=579&MId=3035&Ver=4  and the Cabinet of 20 April http://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=577&MId=2500&Ver=4

Ageism

Patronising beyond belief: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13247915

Surely the purpose should be to encourage everyone, irrespective of age, to access the woods.  Rather than treat the over-50s, or any other age group, as 'special' the focus should be on building stronger inter-generational links rather than 'shipping granny off to the woods' to, presumably, not meet Little Red Riding Hood.

Public Sector Non-Jobs

Reading Graham Smith's blog on the BBC web site is an increasingly sad affair with every indication that he has lost the ability to research news and is reduced to relaying the tittle tattle emanating from those in County Hall who, instead of concerning themselves with advancing improvements for who live in Cornwall, are more concerned in political point scoring.  Jeremy Paxman he ain't.

Priorities

So we are at war, in effect, with the Libyan government and have thousands of troops on the ground in Afghanistan.  The economic position is dire (thanks to the last Labour Government) and we are all having to adjust to the changes required.  So what is Nick Clegg concentrating on?  You would never guess that it is constitutional matters about succession to the throne.  A straightforward subject, clearly needed to deliver equality, however something which should just 'happen' and not be the subject of major news bulletins.

Whilst many local Lib Dems find Nick to be a great embarrassment - looking forward to local election melt-down and AV referendum failure - however surely he can, at least, pretend to be taking more interest in those issues which face so many of us.

Truro Shops

Sue reports that today's trip to Truro was noticeable for the fact that shop assistants were speaking to customers.  A sure sign that the retail trade is suffering and that the 'make sales or else' message has been issued by owners to their teams.

The roads have been quiet for some time - Brent oil is now US$118 - so petrol and diesel prices are going to rise despite the price reduction and price stabilisation introduced in the recent Budget.

All in all it's going to be a difficult year for businesses and individuals, I fear.  The price we are all paying for the inability of the last Government to manage the Nation's finances.

Perranwell Station: Stopping Trains

Given the articles in this month's Perran News, I felt the debate would be assisted by the following comments which were included in my report to the March meeting of Perranarworthal Parish Council:

"The question of seeking to automatically stop all, current request, trains has been considered before.  There are two reasons for it not occurring and hope for change in the future.  The negatives are: the tightness of the timetable and, less importantly, the cost in time and money of stopping/starting a train.  As a guide the annual cost to stop/start a mainline diesel train at one station every day for a year is £5,000 (cost of braking and fuel to accelerate) – it is accepted that the cost on the Maritime Line is less (more precise figure is not available as First Great Western (FGW) representative was not at the recent Cornwall Rail Forum meeting).  The Maritime Line timetabling is currently having a negative impact on mainline punctuality with increased stops at Perranwell Station only likely to worsen the mainline punctuality.

The positive message is that if (a) we can get to a position where most ‘request stop’ trains have to stop for passengers (suggesting an increase in use), and (b) FGW obtain permanent twin carriage trains, which accelerate quickly, then the pressure to move away from ‘request stop’ might become easy.  I understand that FGW are in negotiation to obtain twin carriage trains for the Maritime Line.

Network Rail and the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership are keen on ‘friends of’ groups for individual stations provided they are about general interest/involvement with a station rather than single issue pressure groups.  Given that there are a few initial volunteers – two names are mentioned in the Maritime Line papers and I have received an offer of involvement from (name removed) - to consider forming such a group I would appreciate the Parish Council deciding whether they want to be involved or not in creating such a group.  A speaker from Cornwall Council can be arranged to come and discuss ‘friends of’ arrangements with a prospective group."

Healthy NHS

I am pleased that the Government has today taken the opportunity to "pause" the transformation of health services to allow additional time for further consultation.  The Health and Social Care Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, promises the most profound changes to the NHS since it was created.

The challenges facing the UK's health services are enormous including the rising costs of treatment, the development of new (and expensive) drugs and surgical procedures, and the demographic effect of an ageing population.  Getting my head around the proposed changes has not proved an easy task - in recent months just as I though I understood the new structure then a further organisation chart would appear which caused me to question the extent of my understanding.

Now I have to declare a personal interest; I was born in a NHS hospital and all medical tests and treatment since then have been delivered by the NHS and NHS funded GPs.

I wish the NHS well and believe that for the overwhelming majority of the population it remains the only source of their health services.  Taking time, before decisions are finalised, has to be a good step.  In the last decade I, with other Conservatives, have worked to ensure that our Party is seen as NHS-friendly and lost its 'nasty' tag which we acquired the last time we were in government.  Reforms are necessary, including reducing the administrative costs, if the NHS is to remain fit for purpose in the coming decades.

As part of the "pause" I expect that the Government, and particularly the Conservative Cabinet members, to reinforce the message that "the NHS is safe with us".

 

Fair Share for Cornwall

Back in July 2010 Cornwall Council passed a motion regarding seeking an end to the end of underfunding for Cornwall.  The issue was taken up with the Coalition Government and the six Cornish MPs; we await the outcome of their deliberations which should be reflected in a re-distribution of funding starting in financial year 2013/14 when the current arrangements are to be replaced.  With a correction to England's funding allocation, we can then expect a suitable increase in our distribution to reflect our population dynamics which, in financial requirements, place us in need of funding over and above that implied by a simple pro-rata allocation.

The available evidence from England's funding (allowing for the current funding advantages enjoyed by Scotland by virtue of the Barnett formula devised in the 1970's) when taken in context with, for examples, the funding for Cornwall's schools and NHS strongly points towards a existing substantial disadvantage for Cornwall.  The Barnett formula sets out that out of every £1 of Government funding, 85p goes to England, 10p to Scotland and 5p to Wales. 

According to the Office for National Statistics (source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=6)  the UK population in mid-2009 was 61.8 million.  The Scottish population is 5.2 million (source: http://www.scotland.org/facts/population/) and Northern Ireland's population is 1.8 million (source: http://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/default.asp10.htm).  The population of Wales is 3.0 million (source: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/headlines/population2010/101027/?lang=en).

So based on the above the actual and correct distributions of spending should be:

		Population	Percentage of Population	Barnett formula	Correct formula
	England	51.8m	86.3%	85p	86.3p
	Scotland	5.2m	8.7%	10.0p	8.7p
	Wales	3.0m	5.0%	5.0p	5.0p
	Total	60.0m	100.0%	100p	100p

.

Not a lot of People know this

Four of us were standing in the entrance hall of Perranarworthal Village Memorial Hall (excellent location with good facilities and low hire costs: http://pvmh.org.uk/ ) earlier this evening debating the estimates of costs we had for new disability compliant entrance double doors. A decision was made.  We then went off on one of those rambling conversations which included the following.

Colin demonstrated that it was not possible to remotely unlock his car at the distance he was from it if he held the key fob at arm's length from his body.  However by then holding the key fob next to his head and pressing it (the key fob not his head), the car unlocked!  Bet you give it a try.....

Not to be outdone Peter then recounted the story of unlocking a car in Basingstoke with a key fob in Perranwell Station.  He had managed to lock his car with the key fob in it.  However by use of a mobile phone call to his wife in Perranwell Station, she was able to unlock the car by holding the spare key fob close to her phone and pressing it whilst Peter held his phone near the car.  If you do test this I recommend that a shorter range, probably of a couple of hundred yards, might be sensible rather than driving miles.