Cornish Solidarity issues statement

Kernow

12 III 2018

The following statement has been received from Cornish Solidarity:

Cornish Solidarity was pleased to take an active role to demonstrate its support for Cornwall 4 Change and the Community Voice on Planning (COVOP).

We were able to join everyone in welcoming Cornwall Councillors Rob Nolan and Loveday Jenkin and a number of town and parish councillors along as observers.

It is clearly established that Cornwall is not alone in the huge planning issues it faces as a succession of COVOP speakers from Yorkshire Cheshire and Devon outlined their own similar issues.

Justin Haque a South Hams based former investment banker outlined how the problem has arisen from speculative developers making big donations to political parties in order to effectively buy the opportunity to write planning policy to their own advantage.

He emphasised that our collective problems emanate from Westminster via Prime Minister Theresa May down through Communities Secretary Savid Javid and the six local MP’s the unelected unaccountable Cornwall Local Enterprise Partnership quango and Cornwalls planners who almost invariably exhibit a positive bias in favour of Government sponsored hyper-developments even when there is proof that such a development would be detrimental to Cornwall.

Justin Haque went on to dish the dirt from a bankers perspective on how the entire property / development scam on such a grand scale meshes into place via massive political donations from the property sector which bribe compliant politicians to allow the increasingly powerful corporate developers to write their own rulebook in the form of the fatally flawed NPPF which spawned the Cornwall Local Plan.

The simple bottom line being that the current practice of land banking and the forlorn hope that the UK can build its way to debt financed prosperity is unsustainable.

Retired Circuit Judge Ian Mackintosh spoke with powerful authority of endemic corruption in high places that makes the current frenzy of housebuilding possible, detailing his own experience of it in East Devon where he lives.

It makes powerful listening when a gentleman of Mr Mackintosh’s standing and experience talks openly of a problem we have always suspected to be the root cause of Cornwall’s current crisis of confidence in its beleagured unitary council and six MP’S.

The Local Plan is currently being ruthlessly imposed by Communities Secretary Savid Javid who is a clearly identified political bully while elected MP’s in the affected constituencies stand idly by as the speculators run riot with total impunity.

Effectively within the terms of this scenario politically divided Cornwall Council, its civil servants and its not fit for purpose planners are merely bottom feeding pondlife terrified of making a stand against Savid Javid when in reality they should be ripping into the Six Cornish MP’s as the local representatives of a Government that plays a pivotal role in what is taking place in their constituencies.

Proven bullies such as the Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government and Cornwalls Strategic Director for Economic Growth and Development

should always be called out and faced down, all Cornwall Councillors must appreciate that it is no longer an option to do nothing, the people of Cornwall are relying on you as our elected representatives to make the required stand in order to protect our interests.

As a direct result of Government policy democracy in Cornwall has come under a sustained attack that must be rebuffed at any cost.

Cornwalls MP’s should also be clearly reminded by Cornish voters at every possible opportunity that their wilful failure to act in the best interests of their constituents given the current unpopularity of the Government they are part of could have very serious consequences for them at the ballot box in any future General Election.

Everyone who is unhappy with the current status quo can help to drive the changes necessary by bombarding their councillors and MP’s with their concerns while refusing to be patronised or fobbed off by the usual generic claptrap responses that are the standard fall back position that MP’s and some councillors resort to avoid inconvenient truths.

Sincere best wishes

The Cornish Solidarity Team