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.
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Overview
Post Second World War Cornwall became increasingly linked with Devon in an economic, political and statistical sense (more recently this process had become known as "Devonwall-isation". However, in the face mounting evidence that Cornwall's economic plight was deepening, Cornwall achieved NUTS2 status, allowing Cornwall's issues to become visible.
In 1998 Cornwall was recognized by the UK Government as having "distinct cultural and historical factors reflecting a Celtic background", thus enhancing the case for treating Cornwall as a special case in a regional, economic and cultural sense, and separate from Devon.[1] Also after the 1997 general election the Liberal Democrats finally withdrew their support for the 'devonwall' process as they agreed with other pressure groups and the nationalist party Mebyon Kernow that it undermined Cornwall's claims to European Objective One funding.
Proposals for some form of devolved Assembly for Cornwall are in fact, long standing. As long ago as 1970, J.C. Banks wrote "Federal Britain?",[2] which included a discussion on the Cornish position.
During the 1990's the pace of debate gathered parallel to discussions relating to National Minority status for the Cornish under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and recognition for the Cornish language within the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages[3] (the latter campaign being subsequently successful).
In July 2000 Mebyon Kernow issued the "Declaration for a Cornish Assembly", which said:
"Cornwall is a distinct region. It has a clearly defined economic, administrative and social profile. Cornwall's unique identity reflects its Celtic character, culture and environment. We declare that the people of Cornwall will be best served in their future governance by a Cornish regional assembly. We therefore commit ourselves to setting up the Cornish Constitutional Convention with the intention of achieving a devolved Cornish Assembly - Senedh Kernow."
Three months later the Cornish Constitutional Convention (which had been meeting for some time as an informal discussion group) held its first open meeting to promote the objective of establishing a devolved Assembly. In less than two years, it had attracted the signatures of over 50,000 people on a petition calling for a referendum on a Cornish Assembly, which is a little over 10% of the total Cornish electorate. A delegation led by the West Cornwall Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George and representatives of the Convention ([4], Richard Ford, Dick Cole, David Fieldsend and Andrew Climo) presented the declaration to 10 Downing Street on Wednesday 12 December 2001. [5]
Currently the South West Regional Assembly and the South West Regional Development Agency have control over areas such as economic development, housing and strategic planning. The dominant Cornish political party, the Liberal Democrats, has called these "undemocratic and unaccountable".[6]
In 2004 people in North East England overwhelmingly voted no (78%) on a referendum to form a directly elected North East Assmebly of the type that is proposed by Cornish nationalists. Had this assembly been formed government plans were to hold further votes in other regions including the south west. Following the no vote on the assembly then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott stated that his plans for regional devolution had been roundly defeated and the conservative spokesman for the regions Bernard Jenkin said ""The whole idea of regional government has been blown out of the water by this vote" and indeed no further moves of the type have been made by the government since.
Support
Cornwall County Council's Feb 2003 MORI poll showed 55% in favour of an elected, fully-devolved regional assembly for Cornwall and 13% against. (Previous result :46% in favour in 2002). [7] However the same MORI poll indicated an equal number of Cornish respondents were in favour of a South West Regional Assembley, (70% in favour of a Cornish assembly, 72% in favour of a S.West Regional assembly) .[8]
The campaign has the support of all five Cornish Lib Dem MPs, Mebyon Kernow, and Cornwall Council.
Lord Whitty, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, in the House of Lords, recognised that Cornwall has a "special case" for devolution.[9] and on a visit to Cornwall Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said "Cornwall has the strongest regional identity in the UK."
In October 2007 Lib Dem MP Andrew George stated in a press release, "Just because the Government has approached the whole Regional Devolution agenda in entirely the wrong way, does not mean to say that the project itself should be ditched. If Scotland is benefiting from devolution then Cornwall should learn from this and increase the intensity of its own campaign for devolution to a Cornish Assembly."[10]
On Tuesday 17 July 2007, Local Government Minister John Healey MP announced Government plans to abolish regional assemblies. Functions of regional assemblies are planned to pass to Regional Development Agencies in 2010.[11][12] The South West Regional Assembly is due to be replaced by the South West Regional Development Agency in 2010.
On 19 July 2007 MP Dan Rogerson welcomed the government announcement that unelected Regional Assemblies are to be scrapped and he asked the government to look again at the case for a locally accountable Cornish Assembly and Cornish Development agency, "in light of the important convergence funding from the EU”. Cornish MP Andrew George said in July 2007 I’m optimistic that the Minister’s announcement will give us the future prospects to build a strong consensus, demonstrate Cornwall’s distinctiveness from the Government zone for the South West and then draw up plans so that we can decide matters for ourselves locally rather than being told by unelected quangos in Bristol and elsewhere.”[13]
Government minister John Healey conceded that “Cornwall still faces some significant economic challenges” and said he would consider the need for a Cornish Development Agency alongside his decision on local government restructuring.[14]
In December 2007 Cornwall Council Leader David Whalley stated “There is something inevitable about the journey to a Cornish Assembly. We are also moving forward in creating a Cornish Development Agency - we are confident that strategic planning powers will come back to us after the SW regional assembly goes.”[15].
In 2008 Cornish residents are being offered a new brand of local government - Cornwall’s Liberal Democrat councillors have agreed plans to create a Unitary authority for the region, abolishing the six district councils. This means that where there was once one democratically elected member for every 3,000 residents, there will now be one councillor for every 7,000 people. The unitary authority "One Cornwall" Council will however not have the same powers as the proposed Cornish Assembly. Westminster has ruled out any extra powers for Cornwall and the unelected quango of the South West Regional Development Agency will remain in place. This means that Cornish Objective One money will still be managed from outside of Cornwall. There have in fact been suggestions that powers could be taken from the new Cornish unitary authority as it may struggle to cope with the extra workload inherited from the district councils. A premise for a single governing body for Cornwall was that the new Cornwall Council would have greater powers, being granted more responsibilities from Westminster.[16]
See also
- List of topics related to Cornwall
- Andrew George Cornish Lib Dem MP - St.Ives
- Matthew Taylor Cornish Lib Dem MP - Truro and St Austell
- Julia Goldsworthy Cornish Lib Dem MP - Falmouth and Camborne
- Dan Rogerson Cornish Lib Dem MP - Cornwall North
- Colin Breed Cornish Lib Dem MP - South East Cornwall
- Regional Assemblies in England
- English Core Cities Group
- Constitutional status of Cornwall
- Cornish self-government movement
References
- ^ Hansard 1998 - Cornwall has distinct cultural and historical factors reflecting a Celtic background
- ^ Banks, J. C., Federal Britain, Hardcover, Harrap, ISBN 0245503781 (0-245-50378-1)
- ^ List of European Charters
- ^ Bert Biscoe
- ^ BBC News 11th December 2001 [1]
- ^ Motion to Cornwall Liberal Democrats’ Conference [2]
- ^ Give Cornwall what it wants. [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ House of Lords debates, Wednesday, 21 March 2001, "Devolution: England" transcript of speech
- ^ Andrew George MP - Press Release 29th Oct 2007
- ^ Dan Rogerson MP - New powers for Cornwall 'In sight'
- ^ BBC news July 2007 - Regional assemblies will be axed
- ^ Cornish MP Andrew George asks for a Cornish Regional Development Agency
- ^ Minister considers Cornwall proposals
- ^ Cornwall Council Leader, David Whalley, speaks at the conference of the Cornish Constitutional Convention 1st December 2007
- ^ BBC news 26 February 2008 - Cornwall 'super-council' approved
External links
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