We all think we know what would make Cornwall a fairer and more just place to live. Here is your chance to have your say. The Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum are putting together a Community Manifesto to share with the prospective new councillors and would love your input.

Most agree Cornwall is a beautiful place to live and visit. It’s so much more than the secret beaches and foodie outlets outed by TV presenters and Sunday supplements. It’s full of passionate people who relish its independent culture and creativity. But there is also a vulnerable flip-side to the picture-perfect postcard. This is the side the new Community Manifesto hopes to highlight and encourage support for.

Cornish groups working alongside the vulnerable are currently creating the Community Manifesto for Cornwall. They are aiming to articulate the change people living in Cornwall want to see in their county. And how they themselves might bring about that change. But the Manifesto will only be truly reflective if people from the community have their say too.

The unseen struggles in Cornwall that the Community Manifesto wants to highlight 

The BBC Simon Reeve documentary on Cornwall opened the lid on what many of us living here already know. The largely unseen underbelly of poverty, deprivation and struggle. Struggle to get on the rental market, never mind the house-buying one. To get a bus to hospital from a rural location that gives more than a few pence change from a tenner. Struggle just to get a bus. To put food on the table. Struggle to find work that doesn’t rely on tourists. To feel included, especially if the colour of your skin doesn’t match your neighbour’s. Struggle to spend more than a few hours outside of home as facilities for your disability rarely provide adequate access.

Truro Foodbank

Truro Foodbank

Cornwall’s spirit of kindness

The good news is there is an incredible spirit of kindness in Cornwall that galvanises people to go that extra mile. A radio shout-out from a vicar that filled the church for the funeral of a man who otherwise would have been buried alone. A pop-up café cooking gourmet meals with unsold groceries, payment only if you can. Any number of Foodbanks, staffed by volunteers, stocked by the public and served without judgement. Clothing Banks, with free clothes packaged and arranged as if in a shop, emphasising environment over poverty. And the Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum (CIPF), a collection of people working across the need ranges. The CIPF regularly gather together to share best practice, stories and hopes for how help can be delivered.

The idea for the Community Manifesto came from the CIPF, following the publication of its report A Fair and Just Future for Cornwall. The Manifesto recognises that we in Cornwall must take the initiative. To take action on all the issues that pull us down and keep people in poverty. This means taking a strategic long-term view before making informed decisions about how change will come about.

What some of Cornwall’s councillor candidates have to say about the Community Manifesto 

Who better to help than our prospective candidates for councillors across Cornwall?

Connor Donnithorne, candidate for Redruth Central, Carharrack and St Day

Connor Donnithorne is hopeful for a more representative Cornwall Council. He believes, “The Community Manifesto is a way for local residents to help set the agenda for how Cornwall can become a fairer, greener and more secure place to live year-round.”

The Community Manifesto is a way for local residents to help set the agenda for how Cornwall can become a fairer, greener and more secure place to live year-round.” Connor Donnithorne, candidate for Redruth Central, Carharrack and St Day.

Donna Birrell, candidate for Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon

 “We all know that Cornwall is the best place in the world, with a generosity and community spirit second to none. But it still has a long way to go in terms of inequality. That’s why a Community Manifesto is much needed.  This is a great opportunity to get involved and have a say in creating a Cornwall which properly works for one and all and affords everyone the best chance in life. Post-pandemic is the ideal time to re-imagine Cornwall’s future and many thanks to the Cornwall Independent Poverty Forum for the opportunity!”

“This is a great opportunity to get involved and have a say in creating a Cornwall which properly works for one and all and affords everyone the best chance in life.” Donna Birrell, candidate for Four Lanes, Beacon and Troon.

Florence Macdonald, candidate for Pool and Tehidy

‘One of the driving forces behind standing as a candidate is to represent the community, be a voice for that community and ensure that decisions are made locally, by the people they affect. The Community Manifesto is a huge opportunity for local communities to tell councillors what is important to them and what needs to change in Cornwall to make it a fairer, more sustainable and equal place to live and work. I can’t wait to see the outcome and I hope that as many people as possible get involved!”

The Community Manifesto is a huge opportunity for local communities to tell councillors what is important to them and what needs to change in Cornwall to make it a fairer, more sustainable and equal place to live and work

Eight themes from housing and homelessness and a benefit system that works to climate change.

The Community Manifesto has eight themes. All have proposals, evidence of what is going on and examples of what could be done.

  • Housing and Homelessness. A vision for Cornwall to be a place where everyone has a genuinely affordable home and where no one is homeless.
  • End Food Poverty. A vision for Cornwall to be a place where no one goes hungry.
  • Public Services for All. A vision for Cornwall to be a place where local people and communities have a full and active say in the delivery of public services that matter to them.
  • A Benefits System That Works. A vision for Cornwall to be a place where everyone has access to speedy effective and caring welfare support when they need it.
  • A Sustainable Economy. A vision for Cornwall to have a strong sustainable economy offering secure work and a Living Wage.
  • Flourishing Communities for All. A vision for Cornwall to be a place where the public and voluntary sectors, faith and local communities are all enabled to play their part in building caring and flourishing communities.”
  • Strong Distinctive Communities. A vision for Cornwall to be a place defined by strong and distinctive communities that are open, inclusive, with equality of opportunity for all.
  • Address Climate Change. A vision for Cornwall to be a place where the recovery and growth of the natural environment are at the heart of a flourishing zero carbon economy.

 

One proposal for Housing and Homeless is for more controls on second homes

An ambition to build on the kindness and care that brought communities together during the pandemic

Yes, it’s an ambitious wish-list but after the pandemic, now is the time to bring about positive change. A time to re-set. To build on the kindness and care that brought communities together in what has been a time like no other.

This Community Manifesto doesn’t just hope to speak on behalf of people who are struggling, but speak with them. So everyone is invited to contribute – what sort of change do you want to see in Cornwall? This is a living and developing project so if you have any ideas to add, please contact  Daniel Roberts danielroberts@europe.com

Useful links:

Community Manifesto

A Fair and Just Future for Cornwall