A PROPOSAL from the Cornwall Councillor for Stoke Climsland, Neil Burden to reverse the alphabetical name of the Altarnun-Stoke Climsland division was rejected by councillors at the latest full Cornwall Council meeting on September 11.

Cllr Burden (Ind) addressed the councillors stating that due to Stoke Climsland’s bigger population the division should be renamed as Stoke Climsland-Altarnun.

He said: “I’m sure people who understand, the parish council at Stoke Climsland, did have a long discussion about this and felt that seeing they have a much larger electorate than Altarnun, it should be the other way around.

“It has always been Stoke Climsland division back yonks, back even when I was going to school. The population is 1,700 and Altarnun’s is just under 1,100. None of them are alphabetical as you see in the list of suggested names and I just think that the larger population should take precedence.”

In response, the Cornwall Councillor for Altarnun, Adrian Parsons (Lib Dem), who was making his first speech at County Hall, said: “Who would have thought in my maiden speech in this great chamber would be to debate the monstrous decision of whether Altarnun should come before Stoke Climsland, it’s unbelievable.

“Over the last few days, I’ve put this question to my parish councils and friends and neighbours, to which most of them have looked at me with dismay. The general feeling is when our county faces so many great challenges, have we nothing better to debate down here, but I will put my case to you.

“To me it is not that one division is better than the other. They both hold a great affinity with me. We have the mighty Altarnun, the largest parish in Cornwall with its rugged hills and tranquil valleys and the mystery of Jamaica Inn. Then crossing into the parishes of North Hill and Lewannick, with picturesque farmland bunded by the rivers Lynher and Inny.

“Sadly, which to me is very wrong, we’ll lose the moorland parish of Laneast, as this is now go back to the parish of North Petherwin, but it’s natural home will always be with Altarnun.

“Which moves me on to Stoke Climsland. With the parishes of South Petherwin where I went to primary school and got my education, which may surprise some of you. We then move in to the parishes of Lezant with its area of great landscape and value and the Tamar parishes of Lawhitton. Finally we get to Stoke Climsland, in what will now be the largest division in Cornwall by land area. Yes Stoke Climsland is the biggest parish population. It also provides an outstanding education for so many at Duchy College, particularly for our rural youngsters.

“I was intrigued why Cllr Burden brought this before us today. So I actually contacted some members of Stoke Climsland Parish Council and they said he put the suggestion of the name change to them at the last parish council meeting, but not for one minute did they think he would bring this here today.

“I don’t think they were too concerned actually about who came first, but about the fact they were out on a limb in such a large division would they get fair representation. Like me they felt that now would be the right time to have rightly gone back into the Callington network and I actually fully support what Mr Flashman said earlier.

“Their allegiances lie with Callington. How many of you associate Kit Hill with Launceston? It’s absolutely ridiculous. Although having said that, they want to remain in a rural division. So I ask you, do not drive a wedge between our wonderful communities. No-one is greater or better than the other. Everyone I’ve spoken to suggested, please keep it in alphabetical order so we can move forward in harmony, keeping us at the top of the alphabetical mailing list.”

Cllr Stephen Rushworth, Conservative councillor for St Issey and St Tudy, then said: “Traditionally, when two names come together, they use an alphabetical way of doing it, it’s common knowledge and in most cases here its been mirrored. Ocassionally when there is a big area, connected to a parish, it’s the big area that has won.

“I want to tell you a story, these parishes are of a similar area, talents and everything else, and I just want to remind you we had two very talented artists who performed for a short period in their early years and then they fell out. Most of you in here probably don’t know the reason why they fell out but it was quite simple. It was Simon and Garfunkel. Garfunkel wanted it to be Garfunkel and Simon, and it took 30 years to get over this argument, so let common sense prevail and keep it as Altarnun as a first name.”

Cllr Jim Flashman, Conservative councillor for St Dominick, Harrowbarrow and Kelly Bray, added: “If my submissions get accepted Cllr Burden, I would use Stoke Climsland first. Now there isn’t too many people that would stand up and say that but it came off the tongue very nicely. It would be Stoke Climsland, St Dominick, St Mellion and Pillaton all in chronological order of the Ordnance Survey map. Thank you very much.”

Cllr Bert Biscoe, (Ind) councillor for Truro East said: “What we’ve been learning throughout the course of the morning is that ultimately trying to make sense of what the Boundary Commission is insisting that we do is showing us clearly that this is becoming a triumph of arithmetic over common sense that actually we’re manipulating and pushing and shoving communities and parishes and towns all over the place. What we’re taking away from them is the opportunity to actually have good quality governance going forward.

“I feel that ultimately we will rue the day that 87 members populate this place instead of 123 or whatever that are here now because I think that what we actually manage to do is find a good balance between strategic governance and community representation as we are. I want to sound a warning note, because what I heard this morning and what I’ve heard throughout all the debates we’ve had, is that if you look at the areas that have been created particularly around towns and you see the incorporation of large chunks of countryside into town divisions.

“What I see is a new template for the writing of the next local plan and I just sincerely hope that when we get to the writing of the local plan, which in the current iteration, has become obsessed with community network areas, that we don’t find that new divisional boundaries are suddenly setting the boundaries of towns and the future development of Cornwall. I think that we actually have to be far more sensible than that but what I see is a numerical exercise that is turning into the future of change which nobody in Cornwall is seeking.

Cllr Malcolm Brown, Lib Dem councillor for St Austell Bethel, said: “Only to say that the panel haven’t discussed this. I think that the logic was that Altarnun was big in terms of area, Stoke Climsland was the biggest in terms of population so we weighed the two. I think that councillor Burden has demonstrated over many years what a good speaker he is. I think we’ve learned today what an equally good speaker Cllr Parsons is.”

Cllr Burden summed up: “I’m sorry it’s taken so long. Cllr Rushworth in actual fact is not correct. Twenty-one of the division names are not in alphabetical order, I’ve now counted them. But Cllr Parsons is correct, it’s going to be the largest land mass division; 22 miles from Kit Hill to Jamaica Inn. Whoever represents them, and they most likely won’t go for the elderly representation as they think they won’t make it, whoever represents them has a huge task on their hands, so I wish them all the best. But I do ask members to make their decision, it’s quite straight forward, population against land mass.”

The councillors then voted on the proposal, which saw 31 in favour, 48 against and 16 abstentions.

After the verdict, Cllr Burden joked, I now know who my friends are.”