DISCUSSION was held during the annual meeting of the Launceston Community Network Panel on June 20, with regards to the panel’s terms of reference, its priorities for the next twelve months and its engagement plan.

Cornwall Council’s community link officer Chris Sims said: “We need to refresh our terms of reference. During the last AGM we decided to continue to meet quarterly but to keep reviewing until someone says otherwise — I assume as no one has said otherwise we are all still in agreement with that.”

There was a general consensus around the room.

Mr Sims continued: “We did also agree to look at the possibility of coopting onto the panel representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and the Patient Participation Group [PPG], who are currently non-voting members.”

Les Whaley from the PPG said: “Can we have an input in meetings?”

Mr Sims said representatives could have an input during meetings but they aren’t currently eligible to formally debate or vote on matters that arise.

Cornwall councillor for Launceston North and North Petherwin Adam Paynter said: “I think there should be a rotational chair. In neighbouring panels they allow any member to be chair not just Cornwall councillors.”

A representative of Werrington Parish Council asked: “Surely if you have people willing to be nominated as vice-chair they can become the chair?”

Newly elected vice-chair, town councillor Margaret Young, explained: “I’m not a Cornwall councillor. It has to be changed in our terms of reference for me to sit in the chair.”

Mr Sims concluded that he would go away and look at the wording in the terms of reference.

The meeting then moved on to discuss its main priorities for the year. Priorities the panel wished to continue monitoring included the medical centre, hospital provisions and road transportation infrastructure.

Cornwall councillor for Stoke Climsland and chair Neil Burden said: “A road transport report, published today [June 20], states what will be resurfaced. It would be nice to give a copy of that report to the parishes so you can see what they are doing but some of the roads they are going to do, I have to say, are very strange — including ones people don’t use anymore because of new road systems etc.”

Mr Sims suggested priorities to add could be the long awaited Link Road development and climate change due to be discussed at length later in the meeting. A full list would be circulated for representatives to consider.

Finally, speaking about the panel’s engagement plan a representative from Launceston Matters raised concerns about how the panel publicises itself: “Communication in the town doesn’t seem to exist so people don’t know what’s going on — on an individual level there just isn’t access to that information. I think the problem is parishes have got a lot of stunning things going on but we need to bring that skill into Launceston and work together. I would suggest you look at ‘Shaping My Community’, they can bring skills together to help map out ways a town can thrive. It has worked really well in Bude.”

Mr Sims said he would get some information together and bring it to a future panel meeting.