The Future of Cornwall Council – do cuts undermine its ability to be seen as an effective local authority? Is it becoming a ‘bins’ and ‘bollards’ organisation, as social care, education, youth services and children’s centres are cut?
It’s an important question, because electoral legitimacy is tied up with the proportion of the electorate that come out and vote for its councillors, and waste collection and roads require officers to deliver value for money, but councillors have little influence over.
A term I was recently introduced to by Bert Biscoe is that of each voters’ Return on Citizenship. In other words each citizen expects their taxes (and council tax in particular) to be wisely spent, and crucially, to go a long way, caring for the young and elderly, and generally making us all feel good about our local enviroment. After all, central government, particularly in Cornwall has relatively little impact on our health and well-being, except for the price of petrol and the rate of inflation.
If Cornwall Council is margnalised, will Cornwall’s Return on Citizenship be seen to a ‘bad deal’ by one and all?
Andrew Climo
Andrew Climo is a Cornish Democracy researcher, historian, analyst, community facilitator and Higher Education consultant.