Saturday 7 January 2017

Charter for Cornwall campaign - launched today

A new campaign has been launched today about Cornwall’s “excessive housing targets,” the need for “genuinely affordable housing,” the need to “reduce the number of second homes” and secure the “devolution of strategic planning to Cornwall.”

It principally seeks to influence people standing for election to Cornwall Council in May 2017 and advise voters about the views of sitting and prospective councillors.

Full details can be found on the website:
www.charterforcornwall.com

In launching the campaign, the group has stated the following:

“The Cornish countryside is disappearing at an alarming rate. Our landscapes are being degraded and urbanised and the character of our towns and villages is changing forever. Tranquility, the environment and our heritage are ruthlessly ignored. Our young people are finding it more and more difficult to find an affordable home yet, meanwhile, housing continues to be sold off as second 'homes.' Our hospitals and schools cannot cope and our roads are ever more congested. Unfortunately, Cornwall Council seems determined to ramp up housing and population growth even more.

“There has to be a better way. But to change the actions of the Council, we have to change the actions of the councillors. We will be calling on candidates seeking election to Cornwall Council in May 2017 to sign up to the four pledges of a Charter for Cornwall.

- reduce Cornwall Council's excessive housing targets and put local needs first
- restore social rented housing and increase genuinely affordable housing
- reduce the number of second homes
- support the devolution of strategic planning to Cornwall

“We will then see who best to vote for to obtain a council more committed to Cornwall, its countryside and its culture.”

As the leader of Mebyon Kernow and a long-standing campaigner on these issues, I welcome this campaign and I sincerely hope that it has the effect that the organisers desire.

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