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Penzance Council - what are the main challenges faced by our community?

Penzance Council Report

How does Penzance Council operate?

Penzance Council operates at the most local level of government across the Parish of Penzance. As well as the town of Penzance, the distinct communities of Newlyn, Mousehole, Paul, Heamoor, Gulval, and Eastern Green are also included within the Parish. We have 20 elected Councillors who work for the town and surrounding communities and a small team of officers.

In recent years we have been conducting numerous online and paper surveys to find out from our residents how we can improve our services and find out more about the main challenges people face in our community.

What issues are Penzance's residents facing? 

We know from feedback to surveys and anecdotal reports that there is widespread poverty within our Parish. One way we are trying to help address this is with our grant scheme to help fund local organisations working to help those most in need. More information about our grants can be found on our website. 

At our last Full Council meeting on 18 July 2022, Councillors resolved to support the Penzance Living Wage Place initiative by becoming a member of the Penzance Living Wage Town Working Group. They also agreed to investigate whether Penzance Council is eligible to become an accredited Living Wage Employer.

We also know that there can often be a feeling of disconnect between electors and the decision makers (both local and national politics). We are working to address this by implementing our Community Engagement Strategy which includes:

  • conducting public surveys
  • holding Councillor Surgeries
  • regularly engaging with the local media to help keep residents informed of Council decisions and signpost people if they want to engage further.

There are always improvements to be made and more work to be done in this area and is something the Council will continue to do moving forwards.

What is happening about second homes in the area?

There is also a groundswell of anger concerning second/holiday homes and the effects this is having on our communities both in terms of a sense of place/identity and available housing for local people that is affordable. This is something that is being considered as part of the Penzance Neighbourhood Plan. The plan is still in its draft stage and will be going out for the Pre-Submission Consultation this coming Autumn. A Community Link Group with local representatives from communities across the Parish have been fully involved in the preparing the draft Plan and its policies. Linked to this is the acknowledged need for employment that is year-round and not wholly reliant on tourism; this is also considered on the draft Neighbourhood Plan.