The Vote Match website is designed to help people work out which Party best reflects their individual policy priorities.

Those who, like me, are immersed in campaigning everyday for one Party may feel that the questions don’t reflect all of the issues people raise most frequently with candidates. There are some policy gaps in the issues covered by the questions.

Even so, it is a useful ready reckoner. I worked through the questions and was unsurprised by my results.

The closest match for me, of course, is Labour. Nor was I surprised – as someone who feels strongly about the environment and local community empowerment – to find that a long way behind Labour the Green Party was my second closest match.

What the survey confirms is the widening policy gulf between Labour and the Liberal Democrats – who match just 40 per cent of my priorities as a Labour candidate, the same as the Conservatives.

For anyone wanting to keep the Tories out, and undecided between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, this quiz is a wake up call and reality check of just how close Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats in Cornwall really are to the Blues.

This week the Cornwall media pre-elections debate kicked off. I’m a player not a referee, but I’ve decided to blow the whistle and call for an end to pantomime politics – it’s what people in Cornwall are telling me they want from our politicians.

I was choughed to write the national political magazine Total Politics diary of the week and decided to focus on Cornwall news production including Cornish political blogs and community media.

Following my questions to the Council about the office transformation plan, Council Leader Alec Robertson wrote a letter to local newspapers saying they own over 4,000 properties, and suggesting that disposing of 48 of these is really not that significant. I don’t agree, but I do think that if he wants to communicate directly, openly, and transparently with the public he shouldn’t just tell us half of it.

So let me refer to two other Council properties which they are currently marketing:

(1) Devoran Old School. On Monday evening I was one of over 100 people who attended a meeting called by Devoran Action Group. This group has been working to develop plans for the community to take over the village centre building and develop it as a community centre with a nursery, after school clubs, village shop, and other employment units. The Council backed this scheme by applying for it to be one of two possible community asset transfer pilots and access government funding. The outcome of this bid is not yet known, but those at the meeting on Monday evening want it to go ahead. However, while the Council is waiting for the outcome of the bid they have put the property on the open market, and say that if Devoran Action Group cannot come up with a competitive bid and available funds by 11 February (next Wednesday) they will accept one of the other bids they have so far received. The fact that they are trampling on the wishes of the community seems to make no difference.

(2) Old Richard Lander School site – which is in the ward I represent as a councillor. This site was placed back on the market on 23 January 2010. Now this is one of very few brownfield sites in Truro, and one which local residents accept could sensibly be used for new social and affordable homes. The draft Truro and Threemilestone Action Plan – which has been through public consultation – ear-marked the site for housing development including 50 per cent affordable housing as it is currently public sector land. But the Council has now ignored it’s own plan and advertised the land as suitable for development of a district retail centre, with limited housing, of which only 35 per cent will be expected to be affordable. The fact that they are trampling on community aspirations to meet the need for social and affordable housing on a suitable, available site which is in public ownership seems to make no difference.

Neither of these Council property decisions has been communicated well, or fairly, to the communities involved.

I am glad the Liberal Democrats lost control of Cornwall Council last year, but the fact that their group of councillors then refused to work as part of a no overall control Council leadership means that – frankly – they have no-one else to blame for their current exclusion from decision-making, no matter how often they throw their toys out the pram at scrutiny and other meetings, as they did today. Choosing to be Liberal Democrat is choosing to support a political Party that will never form a UK government, but they could if they wanted to accept responsibility for stopping the worst excesses of Cornwall’s new Council leadership, rather than opt to protest feebly and futilely from the wings. This is not just about Council properties east of Bodmin, important though these are to residents in east and north Cornwall.

I have no illusions about the Tories. I saw what they did at every level of government in the 1980s and it didn’t work. What they did impoverished and damaged entire communities including many in Cornwall. People were made homeless while unscrupulous profiteers cashed in by buying repossessed first homes and turning them into holiday lets – not least, in this constituency. If you want to find out what ‘broken Britain’ – or broken Cornwall – would be like, time travel to the 1980s by asking someone who can remember.

Today’s unemployment figures show a slight decrease nationally in the number of people seeking work. But in this constituency – even though unemployment is lower than the national average – there has been a slight increase in the number of people without a job.

The figures published today show the UK average has returned to the level of unemployment in March 1997 (4.1%). But in Cornwall, this comparison tells a different story. It isn’t good that unemployment in this constituency has now risen to 3 per cent. But this is three quarters of the national figure, and just half the level of unemployment in Carrick in March 1997 (5.8%).

Every one of the 1,622 people seeking work in this constituency faces a challenge, and I know from listening to people who are seeking work locally that more support and better help is needed.

They will be helped by the fact that – even in the wake of the recession – Cornwall’s economy is now much stronger than it was before Labour was elected in 1997. Labour’s investment and employment policies – including the minimum wage and tax credits – mean that those seeking work now face brighter prospects than those who were unemployed in March 1997.

There is an interactive map here with more information about unemployment during the last previous recession in 1991-2 compared to today.

Labour’s prospective MP for Truro and Falmouth, Charlotte MacKenzie, today challenged the local Tory candidate to make known her real views on local priorities. ConservativeHome today published the top priorities of Tory candidates.

Charlotte MacKenzie said:

“This is a coward’s charter and it is not what Cornwall needs. The Tory candidates who responded to this survey put Cornwall’s priorities last.

“The issues they ranked as least important include affordable housing, better transport, new schools, protecting the countryside from over-development, and tackling climate change. Most people see these as some of their top priorities for Cornwall. I challenge Sarah Newton to confirm whether she replied to this survey, and if so to publish her response.

“This is an own goal for local Tories – it is hypocritical to make promises they lack the clout to deliver.”

The latest press release from Cornwall’s Tories claims of their plans to dispose of 48 office buildings and spend £12 Million plus on remodelling three main offices:

“Capital receipts from property disposals will be re-invested in better services.”

Whereas Local Government Association guidance published in October 2009 confirms the legal position:

“Councils can only use assets sales to finance capital spending.”

This fact was made clear to Cornwall Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 13 January 2010, and the Tory press release was published after that meeting.

While we are on the subject of Tory bogus claims, the fact that buildings which are no longer Council offices will not contribute to the Council’s carbon emissions may do nothing to reduce Cornwall’s carbon footprint if these buildings continue to be used by others without being retro-fitted. What has happened to Cornwall’s climate change action plan?

Housing Minister John Healey MP announced on Monday 11 January that Labour is increasing funding for new council homes by £500 Million.

Some of this funding has already been allocated to Cornwall Council to build more council houses including 16 new homes at Tresillian near Truro. Charlotte MacKenzie, Labour’s prospective MP for Truro and Falmouth, said:

“This is great news for Cornwall. This is the largest council house building programme for at least two decades and I am really glad that people in this constituency will benefit. The boost for our area is part of the massive £1.5 Billion housing pledge announced by the Prime Minister last June.

“Everyone deserves a decent home, but house prices and private sector rents make that unaffordable for many people in Cornwall. This funding is a step in the right direction and I will be calling for further funding in future so that we can meet Cornwall’s housing needs.

“Labour’s actions stands in stark contrast to the Tories’ proposals for slashing spending on affordable housing – which would have seen £800m less invested in housing over the past year. The Liberal Democrats are never going to form a government or hold the purse strings to help people in Cornwall.”

This week, Cornwall Council Cabinet is discussing whether to dispose of 48 of its 78 office accommodation buildings.

The list – which is unpublished – includes properties rented as well as owned by the Council.Some one stop shops will be expected to move as a result of the office reorganisation – will the Council make a commitment that it will continue to provide the same level of access and support for people who need to contact Council services? For example, in Truro will there continue to be a town centre service or would people be expected to travel to new County Hall?

This raises a number of big questions. 

The Council can only sell properties we own - and yield the proceeds – once. If some relocations make sense following the unitary reorganisation, the Council has a financial responsibility to consider whether selling, renting out, or reusing existing properties for the community constitutes best value. The Council is looking to provide more housing – has it made an assessment of whether any of the office sites that it owns might be converted to housing or used for new housing? The former Carrick District Council site, for example, has been identified in draft local plans as suitable for housing.

Will local communities be given the opportunity to take on buildings the Council plans to dispose? Even in situations where buildings require some refurbishment and maintenance, communities may benefit if they do this. Despite delays with initial refurbishment followed by burst frozen pipes and flooding, Malabar community and childrens centre is making good use of the old Treyew primary school buildings in Truro. Politics aside, Labour in Government has encouraged community ownership and management of assets; and the Tories have trumpeted that they would introduce a ‘community right to buy’ (which is disingenuous given that buildings in public ownership have already been bought once by the community). If some of Cornwall Council’s buildings are transferred to the community, they will come with their maintenance and repairs backlog which the published paper suggests the Council is eager to dispose of.