IT IS great to see something of a ‘fresh start’ within Cornwall Council – with the new administration ‘calling time’ on ill-conceived plans to bring in a private partner to help manage Newquay Airport, and transfer the enforcement of car parking fines into the hands of a limited company.

While it is highly regrettable that the former administration spent more than £1 million of taxpayers’ money on consultants’ fees for the airport, I am relieved that the new cabinet has made the bold and necessary decision to stop throwing good money after bad – dropping plans to work in partnership with a US private equity firm on the management of a critical transport asset.

I’ve been saying for months that the airport plan was not realistic because the council and the private equity investors were not commercially compatible – and I had called on the then-Tory administration to apologise for wasting over £1 million of tax payers’ money on consultancy fees.

I am also pleased to see Cornwall Council end plans to transfer the enforcement of car parking fines across 19 car parks to a limited company. The new administration publicly acknowledged the “backlash” generated to a large extent by the “Sort it Out, Don’t Sell it Off” campaign, expertly led by Labour Newquay Town Councillor, Jessie Jacobs, which I have been proud to support.

There was never definite evidence that the car park plan would generate a return for the Council – only concern among local residents and businesses and money for private companies far afield. And I am proud to have protected car parks at Clifden Road in St Austell and the Readymoney car park in Fowey.

The new administration now has an opportunity to draw a line under months of mess beforehand and make a fresh start – effectively auditing its financial position, getting on a proactive footing.

I’ve called upon new leaders of Cornwall Council to put together a credible and realistic operational improvement plan for the airport, and also that the Council and Corserv explore the possibilities for improving car park enforcement in a way that doesn’t place a disproportionate strain on local people’s pockets.

This will enable Cornwall Council to keep income within Cornwall.

People like me, with a financial background, can see clearly that Cornwall is cash poor but asset rich, with £3 billion-worth of assets – we have an opportunity to explore ways to monetise this and make a return, while not disproportionately hitting the pockets of local people.

I don’t pretend for a minute that running a local authority is easy, by any means. But the fact that the government last year awarded Cornwall Council £40.7-million via the Local Government Finance Settlement – supported by what appears to be a more diverse, forward-thinking, and energetic new leadership, will make it an awful lot easier.

This is an opportunity to end once and for all the reactive, begging bowl politics which has characterised the past and blighted Cornwall for far too long and I will do everything within my power to support that.