By any measure Cornwall Council is one of the biggest and best local authorities in the country.

Formed in 2009, Cornwall Council serves the third largest population of the 62 unitary local authorities in England, serving 570,300 residents, and is the fourth largest by geographic area served.

We have a workforce of more than 5,800 employees (excluding schools and arms-length organisations), making us the biggest employer in Cornwall.

The Council is regularly shortlisted for both LGC and MJ annual awards, with 2023 being no exception. Firstly, Cornwall Council was one of six local authorities shortlisted for the LGC ‘Council of the Year’ and secondly the Chief Executive was crowned MJ ‘CEO of the Year’.

We are incredibly proud of what the Council has achieved over recent years and recognition through the LGC and MJ awards are a fitting accolade for our amazing and dedicated workforce.

Our 2022 staff survey revealed that 86% of employees believe their work is making a positive impact, which is enabling Cornwall to ‘bounce forwards’ from the pandemic, not just ‘bounce back’!

The Council’s focus on ‘bouncing forwards’ includes acquiring more powers and functions through devolution deals, so more decisions about Cornwall are being taken in County Hall as opposed to Whitehall.

We are BIG on ambition, but we are equally BIG on delivery. We are a ‘can-do’ Council demonstrating underlying and sustained strong performance, innovation and excellent leadership across the board.

We do things differently; our geography, our history, and our very special sense of identity all mean that we can think and act creatively in supporting our communities.

Our contribution to the wider local government sector is second to none.  We can point to our ability to influence Government policy directly, or indirectly through the likes of the LGA and CCN, or the national alliances we’ve created, such as Britain’s Leading Edge.

The resilience and excellence of the Council’s work in very difficult times extends across the broadest spectrum of challenging areas. But that reach allows us to make good on our mission…

Underpinning the mission are our four Outcome Delivery Plans which sets out how we are going to deliver.  We have refreshed our plans for 2023/2024.....

1. A brilliant place to be a child and grow up with every child to have the best start in life and an equal chance of a bright future here in Cornwall. The voices and views of children and young people are at the heart of our plans. We will support our young people to get the most out of growing up in Cornwall and gain the skills to access new jobs in...
2. A thriving, sustainable Cornwall that offers a secure home, a decent income and a great environment for all with....
3. Vibrant, safe, supportive communities where people help each other to live well, all supported by....
4. An empowering and enterprising Council that offers a consistently excellent customer experience and great value for money

Our 2022/23 Annual Report gives you a flavour of what the Council achieved last year, including:

• Our Children’s Social Care is rated by Ofsted as Outstanding, with the ‘rights of the child’ firmly embedded within the Council’s DNA.
• We are creating the jobs of today and also of tomorrow, evidenced through our multi-million-pound investment in Cornwall’s town centres, the space sector and the provision of renewable energy and critical minerals.
• Faced with an acute housing crisis we are second only to Newham in providing the highest number of affordable homes in any local authority area during 2020/21 and 2021/22 combined – circa 1,500 in total.
• …And we are responding to an ageing society in Cornwall by prioritising an extra £45m in our annual budget to meet increasing demand and transform our adult social care provision.

We are proud of the fact that our mission is focused on EVERYONE starting well, living well and ageing well regardless of age, gender, race, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation or any other status for that matter. 

To that end, the Council leads from the front on equality and diversity to uphold the Council’s values. Our recent LGA Equalities Peer Challenge concluded that Cornwall Council had “a stronger commitment and structural foundations than many local authorities”. An example includes the Council’s Proper Job café at our Truro HQ, which is giving employment opportunities to people with learning disabilities and autism.

It a perfect illustration of our devotion to delivering the Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, and a further example is that we are the first council in the country to be accredited as a Fertility Friendly Employer by the Fertility Matters at Work organisation.

So why join Cornwall Council?

Because we’ve always done amazing things and continue to do so!

And while not everything always goes perfectly to plan first time, the grand challenges we face over the next 30 years won’t be addressed by playing it safe.

We are proudly following in the footsteps of historic Cornish pioneers and innovators!

With the support of the Council, lithium is now being drawn from the same mines that powered the industrial revolution.

The UK’s first wind farm was erected in Cornwall and now we lead the UK in floating offshore wind through our own Council company, Celtic Sea Power.

As one of only four councils across the country to receive funding through Defra’s Local Investment in Natural Capital programme, we are emulating the legacy of Cornwall’s world-famous Eden Project by investing millions in biodiversity and Cornwall’s natural environment.

Having been the centre of global telecommunications 150 years ago, the Council’s support for the space sector is positioning Cornwall at the heart of satellite, lunar and deep space communications.

These are the cornerstones that are ensuring Cornwall is fit for the future and is allowing the Council to create a blueprint for sustainable living!

That means everything we do needs to be seen through the lens of our triple-bottom line of PEOPLE, PLANET and POUNDS.

Our future is proudly carbon neutral and we are on course to reach net zero 20 years ahead of the rest of England, through tangible actions and a focus on numbers not just words!

It goes without saying that we couldn’t achieve any of what you’ve just read without a talented and dedicated workforce.

Our 2022 employee survey revealed an increasing and favourable level of Employee Engagement compared to other organisations across the country.

That included 86% of our employees saying they feel trusted to work autonomously, which shows that we are achieving our Empowered and enterprising Council outcome.

And the survey was undertaken before the Council secured a new collective agreement with the trade unions, that included an improved Pay and Reward Scheme to support recruitment and retention.

We are also seeing an increase in number of residents saying they trust the Council, which in Autumn 2022 stood at 64%.

That’s 6% above the Local Government Association’s national residents’ survey figure for the same period and in stark contrast to an overall downward trend in people trusting public institutions.

In conclusion, we believe the many achievements over the past couple of years and unrivalled our ambition, make Cornwall Council the place to work in local government.