Councillor Gets the 'Hubbadullya’ Treatment

An Illogan MK Councillor was interviewed last week on a local radio programme.

Cllr. Stephen Richardson was interviewed by Mike Chappell on the new ‘Hubbadullya’ programme on Redruth Radio last Thursday (25th August 2011) and discussed topics such as the Localism Bill, planning and an Assembly for Cornwall as well as looking at the role of a Parish council and several related subjects. Writing on his blog, Cllr.Richardson said that the name of the programme, ‘Hubbadullya’, means 'riotous noise' in Cornish and that "the mix of Cornish news, views and music certainly fits the bill," adding:

"Following on from the likes of Sarah Newton and George Eustice I was very nervous, but hope that I gave a good account of myself during my first ever radio interview."

Cllr. Richardson is the first MK politician to be interviewed as part of the programme, which aims to broadcast Cornish and Celtic Music and have a different take on news reportage in the local press.

The new ‘Hubbadullya’ radio programme has become increasing popular in the area since its recent launch in July 2011 and runs every Thursday between 10 and 12 in the morning. Mike Chappell and Tony Leamon, who run the programme, also have a highly popular radio show on Source FM called ‘One and All’. The ‘One and All’ programme, which runs every Thursday from 9 to 11 in the morning from the Source FM station in Falmouth, will interview MK Leader Cllr. Dick Cole tomorrow (29th August 2011).

Redruth Radio broadcasts online and covers the Redruth, Portreath, Camborne and surrounding areas and is situated within the renovated 'Elms' Centre in Green Lane, Redruth.

Cllr. Richardson is an active member of the MK Branch and a respected councillor for Illogan, where he lives and runs a successful small business.

Links:

Redruth Radio:
http://redruthradio.co.uk/
Cllr Richardson’s Blog:
http://illoganblogger.blogspot.com/
Source FM:
http://www.thesourcefm.co.uk/schedule

MK councillor and Youth member visits Poland on Presidency Youth Conference

Cllr John Rowe a Carn Brea parish councillor and Mebyon Kernow youth group chair will be visiting Poland for a EU Youth Conference on developing social mobility and cooperation between young people from the EU and EU-neighbouring countries, with a focus on Eastern Europe and Caucasus Area. The conference is hosted by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in cooperation with the European Youth Forum and with the support of the European Commission.

During the EU Youth Conference, youth delegates, representatives of EU ministries, and members of the polish government will work jointly to develop practical recommendations on reducing barriers, developing new tools and concrete mechanisms needed to foster the mobility and cooperation between young people from EU and from EU-neighbouring countries with a focus on Eastern Europe and Caucasus. The material produced from the conference will be used to inform the European council’s conclusions on Youth mobility in the eastern Block. Cllr Rowe said

“Social mobility is a real problem in Cornwall. So many of our brightest feel the need to leave so that they can fulfil their potential, or they graduate and never return home. There is a real brain drain. Mebyon Kernow is committed to creating a positive, dynamic business and economic environment where young Cornishmen and women can flourish. I hope to learn more from the shared dialogue on how social mobility has increased in other countries. “

Going that extra mile

MK Branch activists are regularly involved in charity work, which shows that our members are not just interested in party politics, but are sincerely concerned about the communities where they live.

Three branch activists who are regularly involved in charity work are Paul Jenkin, Cllr. John Rowe and Rhisiart Tal-e-bot. On Friday (19th August 2011) Cllr. John Rowe and Rhisiart Tal-e-bot undertook a mile long charity swim for MacMillan Cancer Support, while Paul Jenkin is using his talent to plan a music and art/craft event in Praze to raise money for the Precious Lives Appeal in October.

Speaking after the swim Cllr. Rowe said that it is important to take part in charity events in your local community, because it is necessary to show a community spirit and raise money for good causes along the way.

Further information about the Praze event, please contact Paul on minescape@freeuk.com.

Protect Porthtowan Dunes Council Asked

A member of the Camborne and Redruth constituency branch of MK has written to Cornwall Council’s Environment portfolio holder, Cllr. Julian German, to ask that better protection is given to the dunes in Porthtowan and to encourage members of the public to respect the area for the benefit of future generations.

In his letter, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, says:

"It would be a shame indeed if, through neglect and lack of protection, the sand from the dunes was blown away and with it the very thing in nature that gave Porthtowan its name."

Mr Tal-e-bot’s letter was also copied to Porthtowan councillor Nigel Ekins and the full text of which is set out below.

Councillor Julian German
Cornwall Council
jgerman@cornwall.gov.uk
19.08.11

Dear Councillor German

Protection of Porthtowan Sand Dunes

I am writing to you in order to bring to your attention my concerns about the way the sand dunes at Porthtowan are being used by the public and the apparent lack of protection that they are receiving from the Council.

As a resident of Redruth one of my local beaches is Porthtowan and my family and I like to visit the area at least once a week for leisure. I am often perturbed during my visits to see people walking over the sand dunes in spite of signs from Cornwall Council that clearly ask people to “respect” the dunes by keeping off them and “abiding by the laws”. Admittedly the sand dunes are partly fenced off, but there are large gaps in the fences surrounding the area that people freely pass through to use the dunes as a short cut and/or for their leisure activities.

This week for instance I saw many people walking over and sitting on the dunes, including groups of children who were sliding down the slopes, while their parents enjoyed a drink at the Blue Bar. I later noticed litter had been dropped where the children had been playing. I am not a kill joy by any means, but I think that better protection needs to be awarded to the dunes if they are to continue into the future. Porthtowan is a lovely beach area and there is no need to venture on to the dunes, because there is plenty of sand that can be played on or used by everyone, even when the tide in high. There are even designated pathways across the dunes that can be used by the public as a short cut.

Even though the dunes at Porthtowan are not protected as sites of special scientific interest and/or special areas of conservation they do “support plant species such as sea holly and sea spurge”, as Cornwall Council website rightly points out. Further the sand dunes are natural sea defences and home to a range of flora and fauna, including marram grass, which keeps the sand on the dunes from being blown away and eroded by the weather. If the biodiversity of the dunes is weakened - in this case through erosion caused by human activity - then the unique environment and character of the area could indeed be effected.

As you will be aware the name Porthtowan derives from the words 'porth' and 'tewynn' to mean Cove of Sand Dunes and so it is evident that the dunes have been an integral part of the area for a long time. It would be a shame indeed if, through neglect and lack of protection, the sand from the dunes was blown away and with it the very thing in nature that gave Porthtowan its name.

I would therefore like to call on you to encourage the public to respect the sand dunes at Porthtowan and to bring in tighter restrictions for public access onto the dunes, so that they can be enjoyed for future generations. Some of the ways that this can easily be achieved is through the mending of the fences that surround the dunes, clearly indicate footpaths, the erection of more signs telling the public to stay within the designated areas and the importance the dunes have to the environmental uniqueness of the area by making the public aware of what flora and fauna can be found there.

I look forward to your response in this matter and any suggestions for improvements you may have.

Yours sincerely



Rhisiart Tal-e-bot
Communications officer
Camborne and Redruth branch
Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall

CC Councillor Nigel Ekins


The Camborne and Redruth Branch

The Mebyon Kernow Camborne and Redruth Branch is one of six parliamentary constituency branches of MK throughout Cornwall. The Branch is made up of ordinary people who want the best for their community and believe that MK is the only party that can achieve this goal.

With the people – for the people!

Branch Blog:
http://camborneandredruthmk.blogspot.com/

Branch Facebook Group:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/218031968225232/

Camborne District Website:
http://cambornedistrictmk.org/home.html

Branch Twitter Account:
http://twitter.com/#!/MKcam_red

TEL: 01209 319912 MOBILE: 07787318666
rhisiart.talebot@gmail.com

Councillors Call for Debate on Cornish Assembly

Councillors from the Branch have signed an internet petition urging the UK Government to have a debate in the House of Commons about a devolved assembly for Cornwall.

Cornish campaigners started the e-petition, which has the support from the MK Branch executive committee and is meant to be an easy way for the general public to influence government policy in the UK.

The e-petition can be started about anything that the government is responsible for and if it gets at least 100,000 signatures within a year of being started, it will be eligible for debate in the House of Commons. If you'd like to show your support for a Cornish Assembly you can find the petition at the link below.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/3145

MK originally started the original petition calling for a Cornish Assembly that collected over 50 000 signatures.

Councillor for Carn Brea, John Rowe said:

"… it’s important because it can trigger a debate in Parliament about the issue. After getting 50,000 signatures in the assembly campaign in 2001, the Labour government completely ignored us, despite over 10 % of the Cornish electorate stating that they wanted an assembly. I hope by triggering a debate in the House of Commons, it would be harder for the political class to sweep the issue under the carpet again because it does not suit their agenda."

Attitude of Tory Councillor Questioned

In his latest blog post MK Councillor for Illogan asks why a Tory Cornwall councillor is dismissing an e-petition campaign calling for a debate into Cornish ethnicity as ‘spam’.

Cllr. Steve Richardson has questioned the logic that a Tory Councillor is using in calling an e-petition that has been set up urging the House of Commons to debate the issue of whether the Cornish should be recognised by the Government as a national minority as ‘spam’. According to Cllr. Richardson, Cllr. Chris Ridgers has written on Twitter that people should dismiss the e-petition as ‘spam’ and that his general attitude towards people who are trying to publicise the campaign is "rude" and "arrogant".

Cllr. Richardson questions how in touch Ridgers is with Tory Party policy in general, especially in view of the fact that Cornwall Council Tory Leader, Cllr. Alec Robertson, signed his name to a recent report arguing the case for the Cornish to be recognised as a national minority group. Cllr. Richardson adds that Ridgers does not even seem to be aware of what’s "going on in his own backyard", as his evident cluelessness about the possibility of a tourist tax showed.

Cllr. Richardson’s blog post can be found at the link below:

http://illoganblogger.blogspot.com/2011/08/chris-ridgers-rude-and-arrogant-or-just.html

Priorities Listed for Branch

The executive committee of the Camborne and Redruth Constituency branch held their first meeting last night in Pool.

All members were in attendance and a number of issues were discussed including what the main priorities for the branch should be over the next six months. A number of interesting initiatives were proposed at the meeting, including developing the MK Redruth group, raising the profile of MK activists and councillors in the area and working more closely with its grass roots members.

The Committee is keen to encourage the many supporters it has to become more active in making a political stand for their communities in the constituency and will be working to this end over the coming months.

Illogan Councillor Calls for Referendum on Stadium

Discussions about a possible stadium for Cornwall are continuing and there has been a lot of speculation about what the outcome will be.

In his letter to the press last week (see West Britain, dated 4 August 2011), Illogan’s MK Councillor Stephen Richardson calls on Cornwall Council to let the people of Cornwall decide on what the future holds. Cllr. Richardson says that Cornwall Council should use the DemCon ‘localism agenda’ to invoke a referendum on whether the stadium should be built or not and who should pay for it. As

Cllr. Richardson rightly points out:

"Surely if there was ever a case for a 'local referendum' then this is it? Not only could we have a referendum we could also vote on whether we should pay for it through voting to allow Cornwall Council to go over a government imposed cap on council tax."

The full text of Cllr. Richardson’s letter is set out below.

"There seems to be much angst amongst Cornish politicos as to whether or not we should have a brand new, shiny stadium right here in little Kernow. On the one hand we have those who are trying to build a CV or reputation on the back of a stadium. These people are quick off the mark to extol the economic and social benefits of a stadium.

They go through the usual rigmarole of wholly hypothetical projections and estimates to tell us that this many jobs will be created or that many £millions will be generated from building this complex of stadium and 'sports village'.

On the other hand we have others who complain about how much it is all going to cost and worry about just exactly who is actually going to get any benefit from the stadium. Why should we pay for something that only a few will benefit from? Personally, I think that this project is something that could be good for Cornwall.

Why shouldn't the people of Cornwall be able to enjoy big events and the opportunities that this could deliver? Why shouldn't Cornwall be able to compete on the prestigious world stage in the modern world? I also think that if there truly is a benefit to be gleaned for Cornwall then the stadium should be owned and managed by Cornwall and not sold off to others to take the profit while the people pay the bills. If the benefits are there then the investment would be worthwhile.

However, raising the money to pay for it shouldn't rely on greedy developers being granted licence to run riot with unaffordable and unnecessary housing developments as the price for getting it built. The thing is there are probably just as many people who would prefer to keep green fields and a quieter life as there are that would welcome a stadium. So here's an idea.

Why not use the much vaunted Localism agenda bought to us by the ConDem government. Surely if there was ever a case for a 'local referendum' then this is it? Not only could we have a referendum we could also vote on whether we should pay for it through voting to allow Cornwall Council to go over a government imposed cap on council tax. Come on Cornwall Council let the people decide. Do we want a stadium and do we want to pay for it?"

Contact Cllr. Stephen Richardson for follow up comment.

starichardson@btinternet.com

Branch Executive Meeting

The Camborne and Redruth branch executive committee will be holding a meeting on Tuesday 6th August in Carn Brea parish at 5pm.

Executive Committee Formed

The Camborne and Redruth branch of Mebyon Kermow - the party for Cornwall (MK) have voted for a new executive committee.

The executive branch committee comprises:

The Camborne and Redruth branch of Mebyon Kermow - the party for Cornwall (MK) have voted for a new executive committee.

The executive branch committee comprises:

Chair: Cllr. Stuart Cullimore

A courageous fighter for Camborne West and its people, he has campaigned hard on many issues, both great and small, in his ward. He was on Kerrier District Council elections coming at the top of a 12-strong field and is still a Councillor on Camborne Town Council where he was first elected in 2000. Stuart is the Chairman of the Budget and Development Committee. Stuart is a Cornwall Councillor representing the Camborne South Ward.
stuart.cullimore@hotmail.co.uk

Secretary/Constituency organiser: Cllr. Stephen Richardson

Stephen became a member of the Illogan Parish Council in June 2010 when he won a by-election with over 70% of the vote. He has worked hard to resolve many local issues and has played a leading role in the development of a policy on by-elections and co-option. One of the things that Stephen is fighting for is a better planning system that puts local need ahead of developers’ greed.
As public services spokesman for Mebyon Kernow, Stephen is a member of the National Executive Committee. He is also an active member of the Camborne/Redruth branch.
Stephen has a degree in law and has been a business manager for over twenty five years. Stephen is married and has three children.
starichardson@btinternet.com

Treasurer: Cllr. Helen Cullimore

Helene was first elected to Camborne Town Council in 2001 and was a previous member of Kerrier District Council. A diligent and hard-working councillor she has fought hard for local residents and community groups alike.
stuart.cullimore@hotmail.co.uk

Constituency Agent: Cllr. John Rowe

John is 25 years old and works on the family farm in Barripper and in Robert's Fish and Chips in Illogan. He is a Parish Councillor for Carn Brea, where he is the Tree Warden. John is the chair of the Centre for Study of Cornish Nationalism. In his spare time he enjoys learning Cornish translating Breton language books.
jpr2016@yahoo.co.uk

Communications Officer: Rhisiart Tal-e-bot

Rhisiart is a lecturer at Cornwall College, Camborne and runs a Saturday Cornish language preschool at the site every Saturday. He moved to Redruth in 2009 and has previously worked as a primary school teacher in Camborne. He has been active campaigner in Cornwall since he moved to the country from Wales in the mid 1990’s and is the General Secretary of the Celtic League. He enjoys watching rugby, walking and music and is married with two children.
rhisiart.talebot@gmail.com