New Cornwall Council leader sets 'back to basics' agenda

Liberal Democrat Leigh Frost is now in the hot seat at County Hall and is determined to make a real difference, as he told Local Democracy Service reporter Lee Trewhela

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A FORMER barrow boy who didn't go to university because he didn't want to cross the Tamar is now leading his beloved Cornwall's council, overseeing the lives of some 600,000 residents.

Liberal Democrat councillor Leigh Frost was elected the leader of Cornwall Council late last month.

The 38-year-old "Bodmin boy" knows he's got a tall order in front of him over the next fours years in office, but he says his aim is for every person in Cornwall to feel that their lives have improved during his term as leader.

He spoke over a coffee in the Reading Room, a book and coffee shop set up by mental health charity Cornwall Mind in his treasured Bodmin. How has the first week in control of a Lib Dem/Independent coalition gone?

"It's a bit of a whirlwind. We haven't met the council's leadership team [of officers] yet and that's a conscious decision. We're elected to lead and that's our direction of travel.

"The two groups have to work out what our priorities are. The Lib Dems have theirs and the Indies have theirs. Many of them align but we have to work out what our joint priorities are going to be for the next four years. It's better to do that away from the leadership team."

His main priority is a 'back to basics' policy. He explained: "The council has to start taking the council side of things more seriously, perhaps than they have done over the last four years. We've got road surfaces to repair - that's expensive and brings challenges, public transport has become an issue with cuts.

"We need more affordable homes.

The Government has set its target, which we all know is a bit of a fantasy in reality, but we've got to try and deliver the best we can. We need a mix of sizes. One of the biggest issues is we do not build enough one and two beds, so there's nowhere for people to downsize to.