End of Year News

End of Year News, including some consultations to ponder over the Christmas holidays (assuming you get time off over Christmas/ New Year).

As I write this, there is one more Town Council meeting, on Monday for 2023 and 11 more sleeps until Christmas Day! So, setting our Town Council budget for 24/25 is the big item for Monday.

Cornwall Council would like to hear your views on the future of electric vehicle charging in Cornwall.  Your feedback will help finalise an Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy and shape future bids for government funding for more public charge points.

Their strategy aims to define the direction of travel for expanding the EV charge point network in Cornwall and the role of the council. The strategy forecasts the number of EVs expected in Cornwall up to 2050 and how many public charge points could be needed by 2030. They have identified actions to help them meet this demand, recognising that residents, visitors and businesses will have different needs. Currently, the Council’s focus is on supporting the transition to electric cars and vans.

The strategy does not identify locations which are suitable to install charge points. After the strategy is adopted, Cornwall Council will develop the plans, working with local communities and organisations.

The Strategy and Survey

Time2Move Holiday Programme Christmas 2023

Cornwall has announces details of activities for children of the holidays, free for children eligible for free school meals. Details – Children’s Holiday Activities

Call for Land for Development

Cornwall Council has a duty to maintain an adequate and up-to-date supply of sites which are suitable for housing, employment and other types of development. One of the main ways in which they can assess the availability of new potential development sites is through a ‘call for sites exercise’. This provides a valuable early opportunity for individuals, landowners, developers and other interested parties to submit their sites or broad locations to the Council for inclusion on a database of sites from which potential future development sites may be selected through the local plan process. It will also provide useful

Cornwall Council’s Cabinet considered a report in November that recommended that a call for sites is carried out as part of the preliminary work in preparing for a new Local Plan. This report also sets out some thoughts about the potential scope and timetable for the next Local Plan. The resolution passed was:

1. That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Planning and Housing to proceed with a Call for Sites as set out in the report.
2. That, in parallel with Recommendation 1 above, the Service Director for Planning and Housing be tasked with preparing a Project Initiation Document, in line with the Government’s proposed new procedures for Local Plan preparation, using information generated as a product of this report.
3. That work also progresses on the preparation of an Infrastructure Delivery Strategy in accordance with prevailing Government guidance.
4. That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Planning and Housing to progress or conclude grant applications and related procurement for any software required to improve digitisation of planning, including for plan making, engagement or site assessment tools, or development management processes provided any revenue implications are managed within the approved service budget envelopes.

The call is scheduled to commence in January 2024 and will be an open call across a number of land uses, including for housing, employment and Biodiversity Net Gain sites. Further material will be available on our website in advance of the call going live, but if you have any questions or receive enquiries from landowners or developers, please ask the team: localplan@cornwall.gov.uk

Cornwall Devolution Deal (without a Mayor)

Cornwall’s new devolution deal, which will deliver greater autonomy over areas including green energy and adult education, has been signed.

Cllr Linda Taylor, Leader of Cornwall Council, met with Levelling Up Minister Jacob Young MP in Westminster to put pen to paper this lunchtime.

The proposed Level 2 Deal was announced as part of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement last month and debated at the Customer and Support Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee before being approved by Cabinet.

It has been negotiated following the decision earlier this year not to pursue a Level 3 Deal which required the introduction of a directly elected mayor for Cornwall.

Like the proposed Level 3 Deal, the agreed Level 2 Deal and has been developed with the Council’s priority outcomes at its heart and includes positive steps for Cornwall across three key areas:

• Skills: Government will fully devolve the adult education budget from the academic year 2025/26, giving the Council control over how best to support adult learners, so we can make sure people have the right skills for the new industries developing in Cornwall, including those in the net zero economy and tech metals.
• Green energy: The creation of a Cornwall Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) Commission to bring clean energy to the shores of Cornwall and elsewhere quicker, enabling Cornwall to contribute to the delivery of the UK’s targets for renewable generation.
• Cornish culture: The deal means Cornwall Council will be able to attend meetings of the British-Irish Council alongside the UK Government as an advisor on matters relating to the Cornish language. It also includes a further £500,000 to support Cornish distinctiveness and the Cornish language.

The Healthier Weight Strategy (Interesting time of year for this launch)

Rachel Wigglesworth, Director of Public Health for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said:

“The Healthier Weight Strategy describes how we will work with our partners and communities to positively change the environmental and societal factors that drive obesity, through a whole systems approach.

“It also describes how we will work with residents in a compassionate and non-judgemental way and how we will strive to create an environment free from weight stigma.

“This strategy is not something that can be delivered by one organisation alone and must be owned by the whole system that contributes to healthier weight to create meaningful and long-term change.

“That is why we are inviting members of the public and our stakeholders to have their say on the draft Healthier Weight Strategy for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

Living with obesity or being overweight is associated with reduced life expectancy and a range of long-term diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia and at least 12 types of cancer.

There is also a significant stigma associated with obesity, which can have a devastating impact on people’s mental health. A recent report showed that nine out of 10 adults living with obesity have been criticised or abused because of this.

Latest statistics for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly show:

• 22.5% of reception age children are living with overweight or obesity. This is similar to the England average. (2022/23 data for children).
• 32.7% of year 6 children are living with overweight or obesity. This is lower than the England average.
• 65.5% of adults in Cornwall are living with overweight or obesity. This is similar to the England average. (2021/22 data for adults).
• 53.6% of adults in the Isles of Scilly are overweight or obese. This is lower than the England average.

Have your say on the strategy: Healthy Weight Strategy