The lack of Cornish autonomy means that Cornwall is not governed by Cornwall Council, but by Westminster. Government policy insists on an increase in housing, but there is a consensus in Cornwall that new houses are not what we want; we want affordable housing, but government insists that developers do not even have to build affordable houses, and those they call “affordable” are only affordable to London wages, and not to Cornish wages.
We want planning and governance to address what Cornwall needs; we don’t need expensive new houses; we want affordable houses.
Effectively Cornwall Council is stymied, it has less powers than local government had forty years ago. Cornwall Council makes decisions, but those decisions are limited by Westminster policies and our Council has no power to address what Cornwall needs.
However, your local councillors need to be told that you do not want these Westminster policies imposed on Cornwall. Instead, tell your councillor that you want an “Empty homes” tax. Regardless of whether a home is classed as a business or not, if it is left empty for more than six weeks, it should be subject to an increase in council tax levied on its owner. Even if Cornwall Council does not have the power to implement this tax, you need to tell your councillor how you feel.
What you can do:
Use Write to them at: (https://www.writetothem.com) to identify your local councillor and tell them that the Planning Policy for Cornwall is wrong. Tell them that the housing targets to Build new houses must be rejected. Tell them that these houses should be geared towards local needs. Tell them that these new houses is far beyond the reach of hard-working people in Cornwall; can only be filled by inward migration and therefore breaches the British Government’s obligation to protect the Cornish National Minority.
