A Cornish Assembly, strict action on Cornwall’s housing crisis, and official recognition of Cornish people’s ethnic minority status are among the key priorities that have been identified by residents in a new manifesto.

Stronger measures to protect the environment and improved transport infrastructure are also matters of concern for people, all captured by researchers during the General Election campaign. 

Now, these have been collated into a new book – My Manifesto for Cornwall / Ow Derivadow Rag Kernow – edited by Dr Garry Tregidga and Andrew Climo from the University of Exeter’s Institute of Cornish Studies.

It was launched at the University of Exeter, Cornwall’s Penryn campus with local MPs Jane Kirkham and Noah Law. It has also been presented to the remainder of the Duchy’s MPs.

“Policy formulation tends to be seen as the preserve of the political parties at Westminster,” Dr Tregidga said. “But the old phrase ‘All politics is local’ is still relevant today. It is very important that a specific place like Cornwall can avoid being marginalised by an electoral process essentially conducted at the centre.” 

My Manifesto for Cornwall / Ow Derivadow Rag Kernow brings together contributors from many different backgrounds, including academia, business, culture, environment, farming, heritage, local government and trade unions – and from people of different ages and areas of Cornwall. Among them were Duchy-wide organisations including Black Voices Cornwall and Cornish Poverty Forum, and hyper-local community and environmental groups.

Other themes to emerge included calls for more to be done to protect and support Cornish theatre, language, music and arts; promoting greater communal cohesion and respect among different ethnic groups; and tackling the growing evidence of climate change at the micro level.

There were ideas for strengthening the region’s economy, including a circular economy, primary transport integration and greater use of digital technology. And many of the contributions also focused on the need for a real devolution of power to Cornwall. 

In identifying local concerns, along with possible solutions, it is hoped that the project will enhance the democratic process in Cornwall, encouraging debate over future policy at grassroots level.  

“In Cornwall, which lacks official classification as a nation in its own right, there is a tendency for political communication to focus less upon matters of local concern and more upon generalised issues and topics,” adds Dr Tregidga. “While some of the candidates did reflect local concerns in their communications to voters at constituency level, it’s clear more can be done. We hope this new book will make a practical contribution.”