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The
Leader started his announcements with the positive news about
Cornwall Airport Newquay and Cornwall’s wider connectivity,
with the Cornwall to London Public Service Obligation route being a
vital link for residents and businesses.  The Leader was pleased to confirm that an interim
provider was in place to maintain flights between Newquay and
Gatwick and that, following the collapse of Eastern Airways,
officers had worked flat out to restore the service and ensure the
essential route remained up and running with daily flights resuming
from 23 November 2025, rising to twice daily from mid-February
2026. 
 
The
Leader felt that it was important to note that the decision was
separate from the full Public Service Obligation tender process,
which was still in progress and he thanked everyone involved for
moving so quickly and helping keep Cornwall connected.
 
Turning
to how Cornwall was helping to lead nationally on health and work,
the Leader was pleased that the Council had been named as one of
the employer-led Vanguards supporting Sir Charlie Mayfield’s
Keep Britain Working review and was the only non-mayoral authority
that had been chosen.  The three-year
partnership with the Government would help employers test practical
approaches to prevent ill health, support people to stay in work
and build healthier, more resilient workplaces.  The Leader stated it was an opportunity to show
that business-led ideas worked in rural and coastal areas like
Cornwall, not just big cities and, more importantly, that it
recognised the leadership many Cornish employers already showed
when it came to health and wellbeing at work.
 
Cornwall had also lead the way nationally in respect of its
successes with Transport for Cornwall and the Leader was pleased
that the Council had been selected by the Government to take part
in a pilot scheme looking at how local authorities could run and
support their bus services.  The
findings would help the Government shape bus services for other
rural local authorities in the future.
 
Finally, the Leader stated that three upcoming Westminster
engagements underlined how active the Cabinet was in making
Cornwall’s case on the national stage.  The Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and
Public Health, the Director of Public Health and Exeter University
would soon be presenting the Pretty Poverty report to the
Government that highlighted hidden rural poverty and argued for
fairer funding and targeted support in Cornwall. 
 
The
Portfolio Holder for Housing would soon been meeting Homes England
to progress a Homes Cornwall and Homes
England pilot, with the aim of unlocking affordable homes for local
people and speeding up delivery through a stronger partnership and
the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Reswources would soon be
attending the Global Cornish launch event, hosted by Perran Moon MP
that aimed to mobilise Cornwall’s diaspora and encourage
investment back into Cornwall. 
 
Taken
together, those engagements showed a Cabinet that was deeply
invested in protecting essential services, improving health and
work outcomes and championing Cornwall at home and
abroad.