Council leader pledges 'getting back to basics'

The new leader of Cornwall Council wants to "get back to basics" and said tackling the housing crisis "the right way" was among his key priorities.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Leigh Frost was voted leader with coalition support from the Independent group for Cornwall.

He said he wanted to "extend an olive branch" to the whole council chamber and work together.

Frost added he wanted to "build a Cornwall we can all be proud of".

Reform UK won 28 seats on the council in the local election, the largest number won by a party, but it fell short of the 44 seats needed for a majority.

The party then withdrew from the race to lead the local authority.

When asked why the Liberal Democrats did not form a coalition with Reform to lead the council, Frost credited opposing core values.

Despite this, the new leader said he wanted the whole council chamber to work together for the people of Cornwall.

Speaking on BBC Radio Cornwall, he said: "From our point of view, as a Liberal Democrat, I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that our core values are the complete opposite of Reform's core values.

"That said, there are things that we do agree on, things that we want to do in the council, things that I'm keen to do as leader of the council.

"I will be extending the olive branch across the chamber to all the groups, so we can all work together on those aspects, to make sure we get the best results for the people."

Frost said his priority would be to "get back to basics".

He said: "I think over the last four years, Cornwall Council has sort of engaged itself in a lot of projects that haven't gone right, at the expense of, just looking after the people with our statutory responsibilities - getting the road surfaces filled in...getting adult social care right, those sorts of things."

Frost said Cornwall needed more affordable housing, addressing the ongoing housing crisis in the county.

He said it had to be dealt with "the right way, that serves the needs of the people".

The council leader urged people in Cornwall to get in touch with their local councillor with any problems they might have.

He added: "Get hold of your local councillor, tell them the problem...from my point of view, I'm willing to listen to everyone, that's what I'm here for, I want to do the best I can.

"I've lived in Cornwall all my life, this is my home, this is a place I'm very proud of, and I want to continue to build a Cornwall we can all be proud of."

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