CORNWALL DATA

CLICK FOR LATEST ADDED December 2009 Sure Start Centres in Cornwall and Unemployment: jobseekers allowance claimants

In this ongoing post I shall bring together data about Cornwall from various sources so that they are more readily accessible: other data will be added to this current post and data will also be updated. Much is already posted at scattered places on this blog of course. All the data refers only to Cornwall and its parts (and sometimes includes and sometimes excludes the Isles of Scilly). Sources are given in square brackets; I have also included some website addresses, though these may change, so that you can explore the data for yourself. Explanatory notes with the original data are important for understanding.

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CLICK INDEX
Empty dwellings | Second homes | Average pay | Unemployment: JSA claimants | Pupil funding | Free school meals | Deprivation in Cornwall | Civil partnerships | Children born in Cornwall | Population of Cornwall | Pensioners in Cornwall | Land use in Cornwall | Cornwall MPs’ expenses and allowances | Landfill in Cornwall | School place appeals in Cornwall | Place survey 2008 | House repossessions | Housing waiting lists | GDP AND GVA | Miscellaneous | Cancer services | Sure Start

EMPTY DWELLINGS
There were 9012 empty dwellings in Cornwall at 6 October 2008
— Caradon 1588, Carrick 1604, Kerrier 1597, North Cornwall 1746, Penwith 1084, Restormel 1393 [Hansard 14 May 2009 columns 998W-999W].

SECOND HOMES
Cornwall (excluding Scillies) total 13 603 at October 2008
— Caradon 1813, Carrick 1917, Kerrier 1368, North Cornwall 4000, Penwith 2779, Restormel 1726 [House of Commons Library DEP 2009-1230, 27 April 2009, data is given for the five years 2004-2008].

In terms of numbers of second homes, North Cornwall is 7th out of 354 England authorities, Penwith 15th, Carrick 24th, Caradon 26th, Restormel 30th, and Kerrier 47th. These positions represent numbers of second homes not percentages of housing stock. The Isles of Scilly had 212 second homes in 2008.

AVERAGE PAY
£21 004 at April 2008
median, annual, gross, fulltime, all workers, by Cornwall and Scilly residence, at April 2008 [ONS, ASHE 2008, Table 8.7a].

There are various ways of measuring average pay, eg mean and median average, male and female and both, fulltime and part time, by place of work and by place of residence, by local authority and by constituency, weekly pay and annual pay. Figures for median average pay tend to be less than for mean average.

UNEMPLOYMENT: JOBSEEKERS ALLOWANCE CLAIMANTS
November 2009: 9175 (3.0 percent of the resident working-age population of Cornwall and Scillies). This is a rise of 839 over last month. In November 2008 the figure was 6553 (2.1 percent). The figure peaked in February 2009 at 10 220 (3.3 percent). [ONS]

The contribution-based jobseekers allowance (JSA) is £64.30 a week for people over 25 and £50.95 a week for people under 25. The jobseekers claimant count is not a measure of unemployment but of people claiming the benefit who must be, inter alia, available for work and actively seeking work.

This website gives details of jobseeker claimant counts over time for Cornwall:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1967128581/subreports/jsa_time_series/report.aspx

More data about the claimant count in Cornwall is here:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=15084

These are general labour statistics for Cornwall and Scilly:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1967128581/report.aspx

The latest labour force survey data, a measure of unemployment, is for October 2007-September 2008: http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/1967128581/subreports/ea_time_series/report.aspx

PUPIL FUNDING
The per pupil grant from central government for Cornwall school pupils is £3879 for 2009/10; the England average is £4218 (dedicated schools grant: indicative allocations to local education authorities).
[teachernet website of the DCSF]

Earlier funding data is here:
http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/schoolfunding/2006-07_funding_arrangements/

The dedicated schools grant (DSG) began in 2006/07 and earlier per pupil allocations are not directly comparable. Before 2006/07 schools were funded largely through the formula grant which, apart from the DSG, is the main grant from central government to local authorities.

FREE SCHOOL MEALS
Eligibility for free school meals is an indication of income deprivation and is an influence on educational achievement.

Percentage of primary and nursery pupils eligible for free school meals, January 2009:
England 16.0 percent
Cornwall 11.0 percent

Percentage of secondary pupils eligible for free school meals, January 2009:
England 13.4 percent
Cornwall 9.3 percent
[DCSF web page Schools, pupils and their characteristics; tables 11a and 11b in 'Local authority tables'.]
The website is www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000843/index.shtml
The eligibility percentages for Tower Hamlets are 47.5 and 55.7.

The relationship of eligibility for free school meals and not gaining any GCSEs above grade D is given in DEP 2009-0918 of 19 March 2009 (Parliamentary Library).

Also see the data for deprivation below.

DEPRIVATION IN CORNWALL
There are several ways of measuring deprivation. The Index of multiple deprivation (IMD) is a major one.

The latest IMD measurements (2007) show Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly at 69th out of 142 ‘counties, cities, and London boroughs’ in England, where 1st is the most deprived. The IMD puts the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly primary care trust (CIOS) area at 74th out of 152 trust areas where 1st is the most deprived.

The IMD 2007 give these results for the former districts of Cornwall out of 354 districts in England, the score 1st is the most deprived: Penwith 36th, Kerrier 86th, Restormel 89th, North Cornwall 96th, Carrick 120th, and Caradon 156th.

IMD deprivation varies vastly across Cornwall and the measurements for 32 482 subwards in England which are available show this clearly.

See the IMD 2007 here.

The Health Observatory website here has some deprivation data for Cornwall too. Also look at the data above for free school meals in Cornwall.

CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS
Civil partnerships became possible in Britain with the coming into force of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 in December 2005. Between that date and the end of last year 307 people entered civil partnerships in Cornwall and Scillies: Table 5 of the Data by area of formation file on this ONS website.

CHILDREN BORN IN CORNWALL
The ONS published in August 2009 the latest details for England and Wales of the numbers of live births to mothers who themselves were born in the United Kingdom or born outside the United Kingdom in each of the eight years 2001-2008. The figures for Cornwall (excluding the Isles of Scilly), with much lower percentages than for England as a whole, for the first and last years of the series are:

2008: 5423 live births, 92.4 percent of which were to mothers born inside the UK
2001: 4463 live births, 94.5 percent of which were to mothers born in the UK.

The data is in tables 3a-3h on this ONS website which also gives separate figures for each of the former districts in Cornwall. [ONS]

POPULATION OF CORNWALL
The population of Cornwall in mid 2008 was 532 200. About 428 000 (80 percent) were aged eighteen or over. The full figures, including analysis for gender, ages, and districts, are in the Mid-2008 UK file on this ONS website . [ONS]

PENSIONERS IN CORNWALL
There are about 133 000 old age pensioners in Cornwall (males aged 65 and over, females 60 and over). The full figures, including for both the county and the former districts, are in the Mid-2008 UK file on this ONS website . [ONS]

LAND USE IN CORNWALL
Details of land use in Cornwall are available for the six former districts and for wards. The categories are given in square metres for domestic buildings, nondomestic buildings, domestic gardens, roads, rail, paths, greenspace, water, other, and unclassified. The tables are at Census ward levels GLUD 2005 tables . GLUD means Generalised land use database. An explanatory document of the GLUD statistics is here .

CORNWALL MPS’ EXPENSES AND ALLOWANCES
These are readily accessible at this Guardian website http://mps-expenses.guardian.co.uk/liberal-democrat/andrew-george. The last name in the url should be changed as appropriate to colin-breed, daniel-rogerson, julia-goldsworthy, or matthew-taylor.

The latest expenses/allowances, published December 2009, are available here, along with historic ones:
Cornwall MPs’ expenses

Again, change the last name to colin-breed, dan-rogerson (not daniel-rogerson as above), julia-goldsworthy, matthew-taylor.

LANDFILL IN CORNWALL
Cornwall 2007/08:
Total municipal waste 324 480 tonnes
Total municipal waste sent to landfill 210 386 tonnes (64.84 percent of total municipal waste)
The average proportion of municipal waste sent to landfill for the 121 unitary and waste disposal authorities in England was 54.42 percent.
[Hansard 26 October 2009 column 50W-54W]

SCHOOL PLACE APPEALS IN CORNWALL
In 2007/08 there were 277 appeals by parents against the non-admission of their child to their preferred primary school in Cornwall; 75 were successful. For secondary schools in Cornwall the figures are 405 and 151.

8183 children were admitted to Cornwall primary schools September 2007-January 2008 and 6514 to secondary schools in the same period.
[Department for children, families, and schools: here (scroll to table 3)]

PLACE SURVEY
A survey in 2008 by the Department for Communities and Local Government looked at people’s views of the locality and local services. Question 5 asked people how strongly they felt they belonged to their immediate neighbourhood. In the Cornwall area 66.5 percent said fairly or very strongly. This was 53rd out of 353 council areas, the largest percentage being at number 1.
[Department of Communities and Local Government Place survey 2008]

HOUSE REPOSSESSIONS
There was a total of 180 mortgage possession claims in Cornwall (unitary authority) in quarter 3 of 2009. This represents 0.8 households in every 1000 households and the total was a drop of 20 percent on quarter 3 of 2008. The figures for England were 23 205 mortgage possession claims, 1. 1 in every 1000 households, and a drop of 34 percent.
[Ministry of Justice12 November 2009]

HOUSING WAITING LISTS
There were 17 650 households on housing waiting lists in the six former districts of Cornwall at April 2008. In 1997 the number was 8043. The details from the Department of communities, by district and by years 1997-2008, are here.

GDP AND GVA
The latest GVA data for Cornwall was published by the ONS on 9 December 2009. Cornwall GVA perhead was £12 681 (in 2008, current basic prices, by workplace), which is 63.6 percent of the UK mean average. Details are in the Regional GVA statistical bulletin.

MISCELLANEOUS
Statistics for Cornish towns is a booklet produced by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The revised version is dated September 2009. It contains data about deprivation, the number and size of businesses, unemployment, and population. Read it through the South West Observatory here.The South West Observatory website also has other data.

South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) has published in October 2009 Economic profile: issue 8 which discusses Cornwall’s economy in the recession on pages 20-25. Read it here.

CANCER SERVICES
The second annual report on some cancer services and outcomes was published by the Department of Health on 1 December 2009. It includes data for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly primary care trust and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) on pages 29, 46, and 67.

SURE START IN CORNWALL
At the end of October 2009 there were thirty seven Sure Start Centres in Cornwall.
[ Hansard 14 December 2009 column 702W]

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General sources

ASHE Annual survey of hours and earnings (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statBase/product.asp?vlnk=13101)

DEP Deposited parliamentary papers (http://deposits.parliament.uk)

Hansard (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmtoday/cmdebate/home.htm)

ONS Office for National Statistics

Teachernet (http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=12222)

A useful website for understanding local government language is: http://localgovglossary.wikispaces.com/
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HOKEY-KOKEY DEVOLUTION

The Walker review of water charges, which I discussed the other day, leads me to questions about devolution.

Last month the team of Cornwall Libdem MPs responded to the queen’s speech — the Labour government’s program for the next six months — by suggesting a list of three measures that they think are needed urgently for Cornwall. The list comprised a devolution bill, second homes, and the equalisation of water charges.

Rogerson writes (presumably on behalf of the team) of wanting “radical devolution of power to Cornwall” and ensuring “the whole country pays its fair share for maintaining the coastline.”

The issue of the water bills of course applies to all the area of South West Water, as the Libdem MPs acknowledge, but the issue of water bills and devolution applies only to Cornwall.

Pick and mix

Let me point out again a dissonance here. The recent Cornwall devolution bill did not involve fiscal devolution but Barnett-type arrangements as far as I can see and now the Libdems seem to be saying that they want far-reaching devolutionary powers for Cornwall but when it comes to meeting the cost of Cornwall’s water bills they want to be part of “the whole country”. Apparently in a Liberal Democrat devolved Cornwall the full cost and payment for Cornish water and sewerage and beaches and clean-up is not to be the responsibility of only the people in Cornwall. This is an odd and unconvincing devolution. It looks to me like devolution with Cornwall half out of the country but jumping back to be wholly in the country for water bills. This is a pick-and-mix devolution, a hokey-kokey devolution, in, out, in, out.

Foreshore

There is another quirk in this. The coastline, for sewerage disposal and clean-up purposes at any rate, is the beaches, cliffs, and adjacent sea and definitely includes the foreshore, the part between high and low tide. Look at the argument for some sharing over the “whole country” of these Cornwall bills, look at the various Libdem descriptions of the the beaches of Cornwall as a “national asset” and a “national treasure” and of the Cornwall coastline as “Britain’s coastline”. Isn’t all this a recognition by the Libdems that the coastline of Cornwall (including the foreshore) is part of the whole country and not just a peculiar of Cornwall or the duchy? Oh dear, what do the foreshore nationalists say? I’d like to hear the nationalist argument for someone in Newcastle on Tyne, England paying towards a clean up of territory in Cornwall which belongs not to the whole country but to what those nationalists see as the sovereign duchy of Cornwall.

(Incidentally, “the whole country” of the Libdems is not identified. The Anna Walker inquiry into water charges covers England and Wales; Scottish Water is publicly owned as is the service in Northern Ireland. So country could mean England and Wales or England or the UK.)

CANCER SERVICES: UPDATE 2

Two recent events about the relocation next month of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) surgery in Cornwall and Devon to a new single centre of excellence at Derriford hospital in Plymouth demand attention.

The health overview and scrutiny committee of Cornwall Council has today referred to the government the transfer from Treliske hospital, Truro to Derriford hospital, Plymouth. I think this is a mistake. The fundamental argument for the transfer is about outcomes for patients and appears to me to be incontrovertible; other arguments fall before this one. Look again at this post which includes a link to the report by Griffin and Allum on the evidence for the transfer.

On the transfer of UGI surgery from the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital to Derriford, read the important short debate initiated by Angela Browning in the Commons yesterday (Hansard 9 December 2009 column 472-478). Her surgery argument left the minister saying he would inquire further: it appears different people in Devon are saying different things. This must be cleared up speedily and definitively.

Previous post
Cancer services relocation: update
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NO WATERS OF COMFORT IN CORNWALL

The final report of the review by Anna Walker about the charging for water and sewerage bills for households in England and Wales has just been published. My focus is on the part of the review about the various options for altering the charges in the southwest.

The review explains very well in chapter 14 how we got here and why our bills are so much higher than other people’s. Briefly, at water privatisation the infrastructure in the southwest was poor; the EU demanded improvement of the sewage disposal arrangements and of the water quality; the infrastructure upgrading has led to the large bills paid by South West Water’s customers.

The review usefully suggests several possible ways of righting this inequity but does not recommend one rather than another. Again briefly, the suggestions fall into two categories which I now summarise.

(1) Transfer of funds to the southwest
A large one-off payment to the South West Water company by the UK government to level the historic costs (see section 14.2.3 and table 7 in the review for an explanation of this suggestion, the cost of which would illustratively be £650 million). This suggestion addresses the historic inequity that the Conservatives ignored when they privatised the industry and is probably the least unfair. Other review ideas are an annual subsidy for southwest customers from water customers elsewhere in England and Wales; or an annual subsidy from the UK government directly to the water company.

(2) Redistribution among southwest customers
South West Water customers to pay higher summer charges, some of these costs presumably being met from higher holiday accommodation prices; or, by various ways, helping low-income customers, other South West Water customers meeting these costs.

The review suggests Ofwat should be asked for its view on the review ideas.

Thus, a useful survey and useful suggestions but not the definite and decisive recommendation(s) for implementation that politicians and customers in the southwest were probably looking for. What follows this review is probably a period of reflection by Ofwat, then its observations, and then finally a government decision.

I am not sure anything will happen soon. This is a complex issue and fairness is not simply a question of being fair only to people in the southwest but of being fair to people elsewhere in England and Wales too. I do not see any government in a recession and with a vast deficit handing over £650 million to a water company. I just don’t see that it is practical politics or necessarily fair for any government to ask customers elsewhere to subsidise people in the southwest by paying more. The ideas in the review about affordability for low-income customers will probably be examined more sympathetically.

Previous post:
Water bills in Cornwall

The waters of comfort Psalm 23 in the Book of Common Prayer
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PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES IN CORNWALL

Here’s a list of prospective parliamentary candidates I am aware of so far for the six new Cornwall seats.
Changes to list December 2009: see Green candidates in Camborne and Redruth; St Ives

CAMBORNE AND REDRUTH
Conservative George Eustice, Green Euan McPhee, Labour Jude Robinson, Liberal Democrat Julia Goldsworthy MP, Mebyon Kernow Loveday Jenkin, UKIP Derek Elliot

The previous Conservative candidate for Camborne and Redruth, John Woodward, resigned 15 October 2008. Read about it here .

The Times of 25 September 2009 has an article, PR consultants who are working to become your Tory MP, which includes a reference to George Eustice.

NORTH CORNWALL
Conservative Sian Flynn, Liberal Democrat Dan Rogerson MP, Mebyon Kernow Joanie Willett, UKIP Ivor Masters

ST AUSTELL AND NEWQUAY
Conservative Caroline Righton, Labour Lee Jameson, Liberal Democrat Stephen Gilbert, Mebyon Kernow Dick Cole, UKIP Clive Medway

ST IVES AND ISLES OF SCILLY
Conservative Derek Thomas, Green Tim Andrewes, Labour Philippa Latimer, Liberal Democrat Andrew George MP, Mebyon Kernow Simon Reed, UKIP Mick Faulkner

The MK candidate was Richard Clark but he had to leave the area for work reasons. The Green candidate was Tracy Stanton but she stepped down in November 2009 because of a change in personal circumstances.

SOUTHEAST CORNWALL
Conservative Sheryll Murray, Labour Bill Stevens, Liberal Democrat Karen Gillard, Mebyon Kernow Glenn Renshaw, UKIP Stephanie McWilliam

TRURO AND FALMOUTH
Conservative Sarah Newton, Green Lindsay Southcombe, Labour Charlotte Mackenzie, Liberal Chris Tankard, Liberal Democrat Terrye Teverson, Mebyon Kernow Loic Rich, UKIP Glen Corcoran

The previous MK candidate, Conan Jenkin, resigned because of increasing work and family commitments. Read the MK announcement here. The web has several writings by Loic Rich, just google his name.

Two current Liberal Democrat MPs, Colin Breed for South East Cornwall and Matthew Taylor for Truro and St Austell, are not standing again. The five Cornwall seats have been rejigged into six. There are three newly created seats: St Austell and Newquay; Truro and Falmouth; and Camborne, Redruth, and Hayle.

The parties have websites and details of the candidates are largely available. For example, see here for Derek Thomas and here for Philippa Latimer.

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Original post 11 May 2008.

Related post

Unitary and EU elections in Cornwall

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ADEQUATE

Oh dear, another disappointing report on public services in Cornwall. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its findings on the adult social services of 148 councils in England for the year ending March 2009. For the third year running Cornwall’s overall assessment is “adequate” for delivering outcomes. Adequate means, the CQC says, “only delivering the minimum requirements for people”. Note that there are two aspects of the work where the assessment for Cornwall is “performing well”.

Continued performance at this overall level — adequate, only delivering minimum requirements — for three years is not acceptable. The council should show the transparency and openness the Conservatives promised (see Minutes of Cornwall Council AGM for June 2009, item CC/10) and explain why only adequate and what is being done and will be done to make sure there is marked and continuing improvement. External help will be forthcoming. If necessary improvements come at a price, the council should be candid about that; I think most people in Cornwall would be willing to pay such a price.

Put alongside the recent report on the safety of children in care in Cornwall which has led to government intervention, it raises difficult questions about some aspects of social services in Cornwall. The new unitary council faces serious challenges. If it cannot deliver, others will have to.

The adult social care report, published December 2009, is here.

disappointing

2011 CENSUS: STILL NO CORNISH TICKBOX

An attempt in the House of Commons to add Cornish to the list of named national identities (English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish) in the 2011 census for England and Wales was defeated decisively by 261- 49 votes.

As far as I can see the 49 comprised: 43 Liberal Democrats, 3 Independents, 2 Labour, and 1 Welsh Nationalist (Plaid Cymru). Both tellers were Liberal Democrats. The figures suggest it was an official Liberal Democrat vote.

Details of the vote: Hansard 1 December 2009 column 1030

Note added 3 December 2009
I understand that there will be two relevant sections of the 2011 census for England: one for national identity and one for ethnic group. I shall focus here on what will apply to the vast majority of people in Cornwall.

National identity will comprise separate tick boxes for English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, British, and Other, the last giving a facility to write in any other national identity. You will be able to tick more than one national identity box.

Ethnic group will contain a new one with one tick box: ‘White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, British’ plus Any other white background and a write-in facility. There will thus not be a separate tick box for ethnic English or Welsh or Scottish or Northern Irish or British. You are asked to choose only one ethnic group.

On the census both national identity and ethnic group are seen as subjective, that is assignment to them is by self-description.

To describe your national identity as specifically Cornish, you will have to write in that in the national identity section. To describe your ethnic group as specifically Cornish or specifically English or specifically British you will have to write in that in the ethnic group section.
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LABOUR HELPS CORNWALL

In the current financial year the central government redistribution of taxes through the formula grant gives Cornwall Council £157.280 million in the local government financial settlement. For 2010/2011 the formula grant is £165.664 million. Both of these figures are after floor damping.

See this previous post for an explanation and discussion of the formula grant and floor damping.

I think the settlement is good news for Cornwall at a time of national recession, threatened cut backs in public services, and very low general inflation. Cornwall is benefiting well from Labour’s three-year local government financial settlement scheme. Along with the promised savings from going unitary, this settlement should mean the maintenance and possibly modest improvement of council services without a rise in Cornwall council tax next spring.

Details of the local government financial settlement for Cornwall are here .

Note
The £157.280 million is the original figure; the adjusted figure is £157.212 million. See Table 8 in the entry for Cornwall (Old) at the website of the Department for communities and local government.

MISSING

Look at this Cornwall unitary council by-election result from St Austell the other day:
Liberal Democrat 690 votes, Conservative 675 votes, Labour 66 votes. The Libdems won the seat previously held by a Conservative. Cheers — diffugere nives — and groans — occidit, occidit — no doubt.

Look again. What do you notice? No, not the winner and losers, not Labour’s parvissimum vote. Here’s a clue. Something is missing. Someone is missing. A party is missing.

Yes, that’s right, Mebyon Kernow isn’t there.

The ‘party for Cornwall’ did not put up a candidate.
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Diffugere nives redeunt iam gramina campis
Arboribusque comae
The snows have gone and now grass comes back to the fields and leaves to the trees
HORACE Odes 4.7

Occidit, occidit
Spes omnis et fortuna nostri
All our hope and luck have gone, gone
HORACE Odes 4.4
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GOVERNMENT INTERVENES IN CORNWALL

The government is responding vigorously to Ofsted’s report on Cornwall children’s services by setting up an improvement board to oversee and help the services. The primary aim of the intervention is to ensure that the services to safeguard children in Cornwall are improved. Details are in the media statement Ministers intervene to improve Cornwall’s children’s services which is here.

The government is acting with effect and everyone should be pleased about its response. That it has come to this is shameful.

Relief at the government’s decisive intervention and a wish to see improvement made should not push away the need for a thorough and public explanation of why the council has failed to such a degree.

See here news of Cornwall council’s setting up a panel to improve children’s services, rather overtaken by the action of the Department for children, schools, and families.