Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee - 24 June 2025

The meeting opened with a motion by Councillor Alvey, seconded by Councillor Gripper, to elect Councillor German as Chairman of the Corporate Finance and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee. A competing motion by Councillor O’Connor, seconded by Councillor Thomason‑Kenyon, nominated Councillor Parsonage for the same position. After a vote, the committee resolved that Councillor German would serve as Chairman, and he subsequently took the chair, acknowledging the previous chairman, former Councillor John Keeling, and the candidacy of Councillor Parsonage. A second motion, also moved by Councillor O’Connor and seconded by Councillor Thomason‑Kenyon, elected Councillor Parsonage as Vice‑Chairman, which was approved by a show of hands.

The committee then approved the minutes of its previous meeting held on 11 March 2025, with Councillor German moving and Councillor Alvey seconding the resolution that the minutes were correctly recorded and should be signed by the Chairman. No members of the public submitted questions prior to the meeting.

Portfolio holders for Resources, Community Safety & Public Health, and Economic Regeneration & Investment had circulated updates before the session. The Portfolio holder for Economic Regeneration & Investment clarified that his remit includes the Cornwall Council Farms Estate and all council land holdings and buildings, while the Portfolio holder for Environment and Climate Change leads broader agricultural policy. The committee requested that future reports include details of key meetings attended by portfolio holders and the work undertaken since their last update.

During the discussion, the Economic Regeneration & Investment portfolio holder addressed two major topics. First, he outlined his expectation that funds from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government would be allocated to Cornwall following the end of Shared Prosperity Funding, expressing confidence in continued investment. Second, he provided an update on Cornwall Airport, noting that the previous administration’s approach was under review due to concerns about wasted expenditure, and outlining potential future uses of airport land such as business‑investment centres, solar farms, and relocation of industrial storage to free council‑owned land for housing.

The committee also examined oversight of Council Owned Entities. A question was raised about which Cabinet member is responsible for that oversight and the role of the scrutiny committee in the upcoming review, scheduled to report back in November. The Economic Regeneration & Investment portfolio holder emphasized the entities’ importance to service delivery and criticized past disengagement from governance and scrutiny. The chair confirmed that responsibility for Council Owned Entities rests with the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Resources, and there was consensus that scrutiny committees should assess both governance and operational performance of these entities.