As Cornwall Council’s new cabinet member for economy, regeneration and investment, my responsibilities include the Council’s own land and buildings.
I want to use my first column to talk more about this. You may have heard that the Council is reviewing its farms estate (often called ‘county farms’). You shouldn’t believe any reports that the new Council is considering a big sell off of our farms. We are not. That’s fake news put about for political reasons by people who don’t seem to mind scaring farmers for a few cheap headlines.
In fact the review is not Cabinet-led at all. It is an official Inquiry by a cross-party scrutiny committees. I am looking forward to what the expert witnesses tell the Inquiry and what the councillors recommend. It is reporting next February.
For context, here are some facts worth bearing in mind. Cornwall Council owns around 10,500 acres of farmland (around 80 farms). The estate is large, but it’s land mass is only a tiny proportion of Cornwall’s total farmland: just 3.5%. The estate was set up after the First World War for returning soldiers to find new jobs on the land. Estate land has been used to provide homes and schools in the past, for example at Shortlanesend. But the Council has acquired farmland too, for example to make our farms more viable.
The facts can easily debunk myths doing the rounds on social media. One myth is that council farms are the only way we can protect Cornwall’s food security. Yes they can help – but the 97% of farmland that is not council-owned will obviously matter much more. The other myth is that the farm estate is under existential threat from housebuilding. Not true. Even if, say, 300 acres were used for housing that would leave over 97% of the estate for agriculture. Meanwhile 300 acres could help us provide 4,500 homes for Cornish people. This shows how a tiny amount of the land could make a big difference without threatening the farm estate.
One of our main priorities as a Cabinet is to increase the number of new homes built for local people on our own land. The housing emergency in Cornwall demands no less. We have a new programme called Homes Cornwall. The idea is to ensure that not only the affordable (social landlord run) homes are for local people – but also the market rented homes and any for sale. No second homes, no holiday lets. This model is already how our council-owned housebuilding company Treveth operate. Sites for this Homes Cornwall programme are being identified. They will certainly not be just from farmland, though a few might be.
Meanwhile, the farm estate Inquiry will look into ways we can help famers on our land to succeed in their careers and (where possible) explore new opportunities. For example our farms could use renewable energy to heat glasshouse/polytunnels. Why do we see tomatoes in Sainsburys all year round grown in Worcestershire and not Cornwall?
Some other ideas: community super-allotments (Newquay Orchard do this on our land): small plots growing produce for restaurants and shops. Making best use of land for geothermal, solar and wind energy. Capturing the methane from slurry pits and creating anaerobic digestion plants. Looking at new ways to diversify and embrace higher profit crops and produce.
Farmers themselves can benefit hugely from new technology. Solar arrays for example can help power and heat their farm buildings in fields where sheep graze too. I live very near a field where this happens. It can be done.
Finally some politics for you (with my apologies)…
Reform councillors are claiming they are against any change to the council farms. Yet the same councillors are also saying (frequently) that they will massively reduce council borrowing. How?
They know full well that the quickest way to make money to pay down borrowing early would be to sell off our farm estate. We, the Independent/Lib Dem leaders of the council are clear we are not going to do this. But if they mean what they say, they would have to. I think farmers in particular should be very wary indeed of Reform’s pledge to slash the cost of council borrowing…
Councillor Tim Dwelly
Independent, Penzance East
Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration and Investment
