PM open to giving Cornwall more devolved powers

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was open to giving Cornwall Council and authorities in other rural areas advanced devolved powers previously restricted to mayors.

Burnham said he had spoken to the county's six MPs on a recent visit, and they were "all in favour" and "very supportive" of a devolution deal, with or without an elected mayor.

He said local income tax retention, the mayoral Infrastructure Levy and the Strategic Place Partnership - a higher level scheme for housing - were "all on the table for discussion".

"I want to go with what people want in Cornwall. Cornwall could be so much more if it could do more for itself and that's where I want Cornwall to be going forward."

Burnham said business rates retention, which was piloted in the county, provided an "incentive for local areas to grow their own economy and then keep some of the proceeds that come from that growth".

He said he would not "impose on Cornwall, it's got to be what is right for Cornwall".

"What I do want is to set it up for the next period, the next decade, to make growth in every postcode of Cornwall a reality, that's what I want to see and I see no reason why it can't happen given the untapped potential across the whole area."

The deputy leader of the Labour party, Lucy Powell, said on Thursday that the county would be a "great beneficiary" of upcoming devolution plans.

Burnham, who was the mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 to 2026, said "devolution is only real if it's the voice of the local area".

"If government is trying to impose too much on local areas, then it isn't devolution," he said.

"Cornwall, I don't believe wants an elected mayor, maybe in the future it might, but at this point in time it doesn't.

"I am offering Cornwall something meaningful - I really hope we can do a deal hopefully this year but sometime very, very soon so that we set up 2027 and beyond."

Burnham said local income tax could be on the table for Cornwall but would be "some way down the line".

When asked about an overnight visitor levy, he asked: "Is it fair for the council taxpayers to pay for all the services that are there to support visitors, so the extra policing, the extra transport, the extra waste collection?"

He said it was "about a balance" and believed many tourists would pay those levies around the rest of Europe and would not begrudge paying a few extra pounds on a bill.

It would enhance the visitor experience so if you do have extra transport, if you do have extra policing, street cleaning, you enhance the experience that people have and hence you bring in more visitors year after year.

He said this needed to be "developed carefully".

"It's a matter for Cornwall.

"It would be for politicians in Cornwall to decide, working with the public and hearing their voice."

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