PETITION TEXT:

"We, the undersigned, being local government electors for the area of Cornwall Council, to whom this petition is addressed, seek a referendum on whether the council should be run in a different way by a Mayor who is elected by voters for the area which the council serves."
 
 
This petition is presented by the campaign group Let Cornwall Decide (www.letcornwalldecide.com or facebook @letcornwalldecide).

Deadline for signatures is 30 June 2023.
 
Joint petitioners are:
 
Dick Cliffe
Treleigh, Bay View Villas, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 4HU
 
John Conway
8, St Stephens Hill, Launceston, Cornwall PL158HN
 
Tim Dwelly
Lower Chellew Farm, Ludgvan, Penzance, Cornwall TR20 8BL
 
Pheona Lowell
Penzance, Cornwall TR18 (address withheld for employment protection reasons)
 
Graham Webster
4 Pipit Close, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 5FY
 
Adrian Wesley
1 Green Lane, St Erth, Cornwall TR27 6HR.
 
Date: Wednesday 20 April 2022.



BACKGROUND
The Government is proposing a totally new way for Cornwall to be governed with a direct-elected Mayor. The Mayor (or 'Leader' or 'Governor') would run Cornwall with major new powers. They would have their own budget, their own staff and their own priorities.

This is a significant change, requiring new constitutional rules. A Mayor can only be introduced in one of two ways. One is by a simple majority vote of Cornwall Councillors (44 of the 87 councillors). The other is by referendum of all voters in Cornwall. If this petition is signed by 5% of all voters in Cornwall (21,706 signatures), then there will be a referendum probably next spring. Otherwise the decision could be made by as few as 44 councillors in November. If the petition reaches over 5,000 signatures however, it can be presented and debated at a full meeting of Cornwall Council. This debate could include a vote by councillors on whether to accept the proposal and have a referendum.

This petition is to call for a referendum of all voters in Cornwall to make this important decision more democratic.

MORE ON A MAYOR
Government is proposing "New County Deals to take devolution beyond the largest cities, offering the rest of England the same powers metro mayors have gained". For more on what the Government seeks visit:

www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-sets-out-new-county-deals-to-devolve-power-to-local-communities-in-levelling-up-speech

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/county-deals

For more information from the petition organisers please visit www.letcornwalldecide.com or facebook: @letcornwalldecide.

In brief: the Mayor of Cornwall would not be a councillor. They would be chosen in a separate election to council elections, using the 'first past the post' voting system with no second preferences (unlike previous Mayor elections in other areas or the Devon & Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner). A Mayor could be elected this way with only a minority of voters choosing them. In office they would be free to appoint whoever they want to join their own Cabinet from elected councillors - with no requirement to reflect the political make up at the Council. They would have their own special full-time salary,  their own staff, their own significant office budget and major powers over some decisions which Cornwall Council would no longer decide. 

HUGE POWERS: In other areas mayors do not run the councils in their area. Andy Burnham does not run Salford, Oldham, Stockport etc. Sadiq Khan does not run Bromley, Lambeth, Sutton etc. In those large metropolitan areas mayors have strategic powers such as transport. In Cornwall there are no district councils, only a single unitary Cornwall Council. So a Mayor would be in charge of everything. The council chamber would become virtually powerless. Councillors would not be able to even amend any Budget, Plan or Strategy put forward by the Mayor without two thirds of the chamber voting to do so. Unlike the prime minister or first ministers in Wales and Scotland, the Mayor cannot be replaced by democratically elected councillors no matter ow they perform or even if they break the law. They would have a guaranteed five year term in charge of Cornwall, and would stay in charge even when council elections are next held in 2025, whatever the results. 

Whatever your views on the pros and cons of having a Mayor, please sign if you believe that the voters of Cornwall should make such a huge decision. 

NOTE: Only registered voters in Cornwall are eligible in this petition. Please only sign if you are currently a voter registered to an address in Cornwall.

Thank you

Let Cornwall Decide
email: info@letcornwalldecide.com