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Economic Downturn (Unemployment)

I am not aware of other areas of the south-west wanting to be their own regions, but we have heard today that there are some areas in parts of the south-west that are not sure whether they are in the right region. A review of the regional boundaries would open all that up to countless debates. I believe that we are becoming settled as a region. We have a good regional identity. We have some common issues that I will go on to talk about, such as our creative strengths, the bedrock of our industrial base, such as defence, agriculture, fishing, and tourism. Many of the issues that I look at in respect of Cornwall are also common to parts of Devon, Somerset and Dorset and it is useful to think of them in the context of the region. We have spent a lot of time today discussing the A303, which passes through a large part of the region. Having those discussions as a region and making representations as a region is a good thing. We have also been able to deliver well for Cornwall in term of achieving objective 1 status by changing the way that the EU looks at Devon and Cornwall. By splitting them off and opting for convergence funding, significant investment is coming into Cornwall.