Cornwall Council Update, October 2015

S McWilliamI cannot believe I am already writing a newsletter for the November editions of parish magazines.  How on earth has this happened?  There are some reports that we are in for a very long, hard winter.  If that is the case, please look out for each other and, in particular, check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours.

If you have any time to spare, do please consider volunteering. There are many ways you can do this. Some are indoors, some driving, some outdoors, some involve working with people and some don’t. As budget pressures mount, it is going to be harder to maintain all services to the same level. This doesn’t have to be all bad. If it means we take back some local community working, there may be many benefits. In particular, can I make a plea to our young people? It can really help you in applying for your first jobs to have some sort of volunteering to put on your CV and to have people prepared to provide you with really good references, which all helps improve your chances in life. It also feels pretty good to have done something worthwhile with your free time. Just search ‘Volunteer Cornwall’ and do let me know if you decide to give it a go. I would love to be able to mention you in my next newsletter

I mentioned last month that councillors don’t seem to have a role in planning enforcement cases. It seems the terminology may change from ‘enforcement’ to ‘compliance’, which isn’t exactly the outcome I was aiming for but it is a start.

With the introduction of the Bodmin Moor Commons Council next year, there may be an opportunity to look again at a 40mph speed limit to protect the animals. Please let me know how you feel about this.

You have probably heard in the news lately about the pressure on policing and probable closure of more police stations. We are very fortunate to live in a low crime area but please help the police by reporting any suspicious activity, especially if you can give registration numbers of unfamiliar vehicles in unexpected places. Just ring 101. (Yes I know – but the response time is getting much better.)

PIC: @MINIONSONTOUR/APEX 02/10/2015 A road sign to a village sharing its name with cartoon characters from a billion-dollar box office film has been pulled down over health and safety concerns. The distracting hoarding, which was put up at the entrance to Minions on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, had featured the yellow henchmen stars of the movie, also called Minions, urging motorists to drive carefully. But families stopping by the sign for photos had prompted complaints about its location. Cornwall Council said the removal of the temporary sign was planned. Some residents have fought for the "tourism-boosting" sign to stay, while others have argued it was in the wrong location. Gary Stone, who owns the village pub, said he was one of many people who wanted the sign to stay as it had put Minions on the map. He said it had been very good for business and the village had seen its busiest summer since the sign was erected. But Carl Hearn, Linkinhorne Parish Council chairman said cars had been stopping in front of the sign in order to have photographs taken. This picture shows the Minions sign that has been removed. ** SEE STORY BY APEX NEWS - 01392 823144 ** ---------------------------------------------------- APEX NEWS AND PICTURES NEWS DESK: 01392 823144 PICTURE DESK: 01392 823145Finally, the Minions sign has certainly been a talking point. Unfortunately there has been a misunderstanding about it. It doesn’t belong to Cornwall Council or to a parish council – either Linkinhorne or St Cleer. The decision to remove it was Universal’s who own the copyright. However much we may wish to see it back up somewhere, it isn’t going to happen unless Universal agree and so far they haven’t, despite our best efforts. We do know how popular it was and how much extra business it brought to the local businesses but we don’t own it and we can’t put it back. We aren’t all miserable grumps and I would love to be able to take my grandchildren up to see it but there is nothing more any of us councillors can do.

Sorry!

Cllr Steph McWilliam