New Cornish-Welsh agreement could help the housing crisis

A new agreement to strengthen ties between Cornwall and Wales has been dubbed "historic" and could be particularly effective when it comes to the housing crisis in Cornwall. The deal was signed this afternoon (Monday, July 17) by Cornwall Council leader Cllr Linda Taylor and the First Minister of Wales, the Rt Hon Mark Drakeford.

It will see representatives of Cornwall Council and the Welsh Government meeting at least four times a year – with an initial meeting having already taken place – to share best practice and to develop solutions to areas of mutual challenge, including sustainable and affordable housing provision, achieving net zero, boosting rural economies and celebrating culture and language as key areas of co-operation.

Cllr Taylor first met Mr Drakeford in February last year to discuss developing the relationship between the two Celtic 'nations', acknowledging the many areas of common interest shared between them. Now a formal arrangement, the 'Celtic Heritage – Cornwall-Wales Collaboration Agreement' has been signed to strengthen the bonds already in place. Future meetings will be held virtually to minimise the financial and carbon impact of the arrangement.

Cllr Taylor said: "Cornwall has a proud Celtic heritage, and we have so many cultural links to Wales that it seemed clear to me that strengthening our ties would be of huge benefit for us both. I was delighted to find that the First Minister shared my enthusiasm for this, and we have been able to come to an agreement to formalise this relationship.

"Affordable and sustainable housing, the need to achieve net-zero and ways of growing thriving rural economies are key areas for both Cornwall and Wales, and to be able to share our knowledge with each other is good news for us all. It is also great for us from a cultural perspective too. I know we can learn from the way the Welsh language has been successfully grown in recent years, and I am looking forward to sharing the ways in which we both celebrate our rich and ancient culture."

Following the agreement's signing in Cardiff today, Cllr Taylor said Cornwall will be keeping a keen eye on Wales' council tax ruling which allows local authorities to charge a premium of up to 100% of the standard rate of council tax on long-term empty dwellings and second homes, one of the major issues affecting housing in Cornwall.

She said: "Because they've already implemented the 100% council tax it's going to be interesting in our talks to find out if there's any consequences, what the implications are and to see how it's being managed in Wales. We're waiting to get the rule of thumb on that in the levelling up bill so there is going to be an awful lot we can learn from one another."

Cornwall Council's Conservative leader said the Duchy could learn from the way Wales is doing things differently especially when it comes to housing. "In Gwynedd the local authority has actually introduced a condition that if you're selling a home it can only be sold to somebody who is local. That seems like it's a fairly new initiative, so I'm quite interested to see what the consequences and implications are, and how the community is buying into that. It was obviously chosen as a bit of a hot spot for the impact of second homes."

Cornwall Council Leader Cllr Linda Taylor and the First Minister of Wales, the Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS. (Image: Cornwall Council)

In April Cabinet members confirmed that Cornwall Council had dropped the Government's proposed Level 3 Cornwall Devolution Deal, which included the requirement for a directly elected mayor, following a consultation showing that 69% of the public were against it. Does this deal with Wales mean Cornwall is getting a step closer to devolution?

Cllr Taylor added: "We see the powers that Wales has as a nation state; Cornwall considers itself to be a nation so we've got to be ambitious and see about promoting determination of what happens in Cornwall. As you know the Level 3 couldn't get over the line, but we've got to be ambitious. We can determine our own future, so those discussions must always be open so we consider what we can do for Cornwall."

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "We share many historical, cultural and linguistic ties with Cornwall, and our economies, landscape and our people have many shared characteristics. These commonalities enable us to learn from each other in areas which affect our populations, especially in the areas of focus in today's agreement.

"I look forward to working more closely together, building on our strong relationship, sharing best practice and exploring other areas we can work together on in the future."