Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Leadership Board - 18 September 2026

The meeting began with a tour of the St Minver Community Hub, led by Community Director Stuart Robertson. Members were shown the multi-use facility, which had been developed on a former football pitch, Guide and Scout hut, and pre-school site. The building, opened in March 2026 following a £1.3 million grant, now hosts a football club, Scouts, GP services including a dispensary and consulting room, and the Parish Council. The tour highlighted the building’s movable walling system, kitchen, changing rooms, meeting room, and accessibility features. Plans were noted to repurpose the former pre-school building as a community café, which would also cater for functions in the main building.

The Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly provided an update on island matters. He reported that devolution discussions were ongoing, with £1 million in additional funding secured, and that transport connectivity remained a longstanding issue with routes being tendered with Department for Transport support. Housing remained a significant challenge, and Children’s Social Care was rated inadequate, with an Ofsted inspection expected within six months. A Member of Parliament suggested exploring a combined authority arrangement with Cornwall, but the Chairman stressed the importance of maintaining the islands’ independence and identity, while noting a desire to work closely with Cornwall.

The Leadership Board received a presentation on the Valuing Local Framework from Cornwall Council’s Head of Resilient Communities. The framework, recently approved by Cabinet, is intended to strengthen partnership working and address shared community challenges such as social isolation, health inequalities, and climate adaptation. During discussion, members emphasised the importance of involving partners early in decision-making rather than presenting them with completed proposals. The Chair of the Youth Council stressed that all young people should be engaged, not just the Youth Council as a representative body. The Head of Resilient Communities confirmed a commitment to improving engagement and attending a future Youth Council meeting.

The Board considered the Strategic Risk Register following further refinement and rescoring of risks. The Head of Internal Audit explained that nominated risk leads had provided context and target scores. Members queried the methodology behind the Climate Change and Environment risk score, and sought clarification on the “Digital Revolution for Sustainable Living” risk, which was noted as originating from the six aims of the Cornwall Plan. Concerns were raised