A motion calling for greater protection for councillors against harassment, abuse and intimidation is set to be discussed when Cornwall Council meets today.
A second motion calling for a reframing of Cornwall’s Climate Emergency declaration five years after it was first introduced is also on the agenda.
The meeting will also hear questions from both the public and other councillors to the leader and her cabinet colleagues.
It will take place in the council chamber at County Hall (Lys Kernow), starting at 10.30am, and is open to members of the public.
As with all motions, the chairman of the council will decide on the day whether to allow one or both of the proposed motions to be debated by the whole council, or if they should be referred to committee for discussion.
You can watch the meeting live via our webcast service, or follow through the live blog below.
9.30am: This morning's meeting will begin at 10.30am.
10.30am: Today's meeting is underway, and will begin with prayers. Prayers today are being led by Cllr Andy Virr.
10.35am: We move onto the next items on the agenda; apologies for absence, and declarations of interest.
10.38am: We now move onto the chairman's announcements.
Cllr Pauline Giles, chairman of Cornwall Council
10.39am: Cllr Giles starts by wishing all those in attendance a Happy New Year, and congratulates all of the Cornish residents who were handed honours in the New Year's Honours List.
10.40am: It is now time for the Leader's announcements, with Cllr Linda Taylor welcoming the roll out of the new waste services in Mid-Cornwall, which began yesterday. She also congratulates the council's health visitors team for a recent inspection.
Cllr Taylor also sets out her support for her deputy, Cllr David Harris, who wrote to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove, yesterday calling for fairer funding for Cornwall to help alleviate the financial pressures the authority is facing.
She said: "As I am sure you are aware, we are facing an extremely difficult budget setting process with increasing costs combining with increasing demands to create unprecedented financial challenges on our services.
"Although we are not in the position of many councils who are being forced to issue Section 114 as they simply cannot balance their books, we are facing a situation where we will need to use some of our reserves in order to produce a balanced budget.
"I can only echo Cllr Harris’ call for fairer funding, and hope we will have some positive news ahead of next month’s budget setting meeting."
10.43am: The minutes of the last full council meeting are now being approved.
10.44am: We now move onto public questions. The first question regards the plans for a Mid Cornwall Metro scheme.
10.50am: Following questions on the future of the Park and Ride bus service in Truro, and parking in Boscastle, we now have a question on possible investments from the Cornwall Pension Scheme with companies operating in occupied territories in Palestine.
10.51am: Cllr Jayne Kirkham, chairman of the Pensions Committee, responds, stating she is proud of the way the fund has taken great steps towards responsible investment. She says the fund is watching event closely and will react accordingly if any investments do not meet with human rights standards.
She states there are two investments with companies who operate in the occupied territories, a US and a German firm, and with a number of Israeli companies, who do not operate in the territories concerned.
10.56am: The next question concerns Cornwall Council's adoption of the IHRA's definition of antisemitism, which is answered by the Leader, Cllr Linda Taylor.
11.04am: The next question concerns street cleaning and costs.
11.06am: A question regarding the future of the Heartlands site is next, before a question on bus timetables.
11.11am: We now move onto the next item on the agenda, a statement on the council's Licensing Policy Review.
11.17am: The review is approved by the council. We now move onto the Appointment of Co-opted Members to the Standards Committee and Appointment of Independent Persons.
11.23am: The appointments are approved.
11.24am: We now move onto today's motions. The Chairman says she is using her discretion to allow a debate on 'Defending Democracy' to be debated at today's meeting.
11.25am: The motion is being introduced by Cllr Thalia Marrington, who says she believes unless the culture of toxicity is addressed it will damage democracy and put people off becoming involved in politics. She tells the chamber that everyone must play their part in setting a high bar in their own conduct, in order to be able to challenge others for their behaviour.
11.25am: Cllr Marrington says that if more women and people from all backgrounds are to be encouraged to come forward for public service, the issue need to be addressed. There is applause from across the chamber.
11.29am: Cllr Karen Glasson seconds the motion, and says she has witnessed abuse of councillors herself at parish council levels. She says people are always able to disagree, but that a minority resort to abuse. She adds that she has a daughter close to turning 18, and, if asked, she would advise her not to go into politics unless things change.
11.31am: Cllr Linda Taylor, leader of the council is next to speak. She says people enter politics for the right reason, but soon learn of the abuse they will face. She says social media has changed the way people interact with each other.
11.33am: Cllr Taylor says she has arranged a meeting with the local police commissioner and the chief constable to discuss how these issues can be tackled, and that she will work with the Local Government Association on the issue.
11.36am: Cllr Michael Bunney tells the chamber that we need a more diverse representation on the council, and urges all members to vote for the motion, and to work together in a more respectful manner.
11.38am: Cllr Colin Martin tells the chamber he is asking his Liberal Democrat group to vote for the motion, saying it is about calling out abuse, thinking about your own behaviour and challenging yourself, and noting it is not just a Cornwall problem, but a national one, and lessons could be learnt from best practice across the country.
11.43am: Cllr Andrew George says that it is only a minority who are abusive, but that as politicians, you are a 'lightning rod' for people who believe your role allows them to abuse you. He says he is encouraged to hear so many people say that it needs people to work together to tackle the issue.
He tells the chamber that the MP David Amess, who was murdered in 2021, was a close friend, highlighting how people from across the political divide can disagree on issues, but still forge close friendships.
11.51am: Cllr Kate Ewert says she has raised the issue of abuse previously in the chamber and has been subjected to similar harassment since. She says she would also struggle to advise any woman to enter politics.
11.53am: Cllr Andrew Mitchell tells the chamber he hopes the council will take real action to try and tackle the issue, which is partially driven by the growth in the number of 'keyboard warriors'.
11.56am: Cllr Richard Williams-Pears says he know every councillor will have faced abuse - and that sometimes it is possible to shrug it off - and 'sometimes it isn't'. He says it is happening on a daily basis, and that it would not be tolerated in any other workplace.
11.58am: Cllr Armand Toms tells the chamber that you get constant abuse in the role, mainly on issues on which he has very little influence. He says you can meet with fellow councillors, disagree, and then sit and have a drink and a chat, and that is the way it should be.
12.00pm: Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek tells the chamber that the behaviour of councillors needs to improve in order to address the quality of discourse in public life.
12.07pm: Cllr Martin Worth says that out of his five thousand or so constituents, there are probably only five who overstep the line and are abusive. He says that by removing their anger, they are far more likely to get a response, and asks people to listen to what councillors say, and react accordingly and politely if they want to get things changed.
12.12pm: Cllr Andrew Long tells the chamber that he believes the problem of abuse has grown far worse since the Covid pandemic. He says he now has someone accompany him on visits, something he never thought would happen. However, he says that it is not just the public doing it, and that there are politicians at all levels who take debate too far and allow it to descend into personal abuse.
12.15pm: Cllr Marrington thanks everyone who has spoken on the issue, and says she hopes a more robust system can be created for dealing with issues.
12.18pm: The motion is approved unanimously.
12.19pm: The next motion, on the Climate Emergency, will be referred to Cabinet and not discussed today. Cllr Colin Martin, who submitted the motion, now has three minutes to outline the paper.
12.20pm: Cllr Martin says his motion calls for a plan, as well as a target. He questions why the motion has not been allowed for debate, and says he hopes it can come back for members to have their say on the issues in the near future.
12.21pm: We now move onto the final agenda item; questions from members to Cabinet members. The first question is from Cllr Adam Paynter and refers to bus services to Callywith College, with students struggling to get to college on time.
12.41pm: Issues raised so far include Heartlands, potholes, and work on the council's Carbon neutral policy.
12.51pm: Council finances and the Camelford Bypass have also been raised by members.
1.19pm: Today's meeting is now over.
