Thousands call for referendum on whether Cornwall should have a mayor

Should the people of Cornwall decide if we have a mayor?

That’s the question more than 5,000 people who’ve signed the ‘let Cornwall decide’ petition, over 70 Cornish parish councils and many of these protesters were waiting to be answered at a full Cornwall council meeting on Tuesday (November 29).

The protestors gathered outside County Hall in Truro calling for a referendum but now the decision will only happen after the results of a public consultation are published.

An amendment put forward in the chamber now means the decision will be deferred, until a public consultation on a devolution deal is complete.

We spoke to Councillor Tim Dwelly, who put forward the motion for a public referendum, before the meeting.

He said “This is entirely London telling Cornwall what to do and Cornwall don’t like being told what to do by London.

"That’s why we need a referendum so that the people of Cornwall, rather than the people who are working for London which is the Conservatives running Cornwall Council, they should decide, it’s up to them whether we have a mayor, it’s not up to the leader of Cornwall Council.”

Matthew McEvoy, Let Cornwall Decide Campaign said “It just feels wrong, we’ve got elected councillors, that system has been in place and has been working.

"It feels like a power grab, it feels as if one person, one party want to take control of the county and keep that control ad-finitum and that just feels terrible, feels wrong."

Zoe Fox, Mayor of Camborne, also raised concerns. She said “It’s over centralisation of power into the hands of a few.

"I’m representing Camborne where we did pass a motion to ask that the people of Cornwall are given the chance to have their say in a referendum and decide whether or not we want an extra tier of government and an expensive mayor’s office.”

In an open letter to residents the leader of Cornwall Council Linda Taylor, welcomed the government’s mayor announcement saying that having a mayor would secure "the most ambitious, bespoke deal possible from government".

The public consultation on the devolution deal will start on 9 December and will last for ten weeks.