St Keverne Parish Council – Chairman’s Annual Report, May 2026

Members of the public, Councillors, it is my pleasure to provide this Chairman’s report to you in my 5^th year as member of St Keverne Parish Council, and at the end of my 1^st year as Chair. I’ve never been accused of being short of having something to say, so please bear with me.

The last year has in many ways been a challenging one for the Parish. We have faced a difficult economic environment which has presented severe financial challenges for many local families, businesses and community organisations.

The Parish has continued to face the problem of availability of affordable housing for local families – an issue which has a particularly large impact on young families looking to build their lives here.

Finally, a very soggy winter reached its crescendo with storm Goretti on the 9^th January, which saw significant disruption and damage that will take a long time to rectify.

Despite these challenges, as I reflect on the last year I can’t help but see a community that is still in many ways thriving. Our Parish thankfully still contains schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, village halls, post office services, bus services, garages and petrol stations, places of worship, public toilets, and playgrounds – all vital social infrastructure that has sadly disappeared from many other Parishes in Cornwall.

In addition, and even more importantly, our Parish continues to enjoy a rich mix of active community organisations. From Coverack Gig Club, to the Forget-Me-Not Café, from St Keverne Ju-Jit-Su to the Table Tennis Club, St Keverne Band, Coverack Space 2000, St Keverne Football Club, Coverack Regatta, Porthallow Village Association, Coverack and St Keverne Christmas Lights, local RNLI and Cancer Research fundraising groups, local swimming groups, and many more…

These are but a few examples of the ways members of this Parish give their time, energy and expertise to bring the community together, and support and engage others. The contribution of these groups is what makes a thriving community, and what makes living here such a pleasure

As such I’d like to thank and commend all the individuals involved in such community groups across the Parish.

Two such groups deserve a special mention this year. Firstly, the Lambeage Hall committee who, in the face of significant challenges and set-backs, have completed an exceptional refurbishment and extension of the Lambeage Hall in Coverack, making it more functional and accessible for all – so, congratulations to the Lambeage Hall committee, on a fantastic job well done.

Secondly, a mention for the volunteers behind Coverack Community Shop, who put a huge amount of effort to bring the only grocery shop in Coverack back to life, and continue to volunteer their time to run the shop and make it viable – congratulations on saving and maintaining what is for many in the village an essential provision.

The effort of these two groups are a fine example of the community spirit that binds this Parish together.

As well as these community groups, it is also useful to reflect on what this Parish Council has achieved over the last twelve months. Whilst frustrations may exist within our community regarding our effectiveness, I am pleased to report that over the last year we have:

• Supported the maintenance of or directly maintained 32 miles of footpaths across the Parish

• Maintained provision of public toilets across the Parish

• Maintained strong fiscal discipline despite rising costs and demands for services and support

• Supported several Parish children to attend a charity trip to Cambodia

• Been a key part of a partnership that has developed and submitted a planning application for 28 local needs affordable houses in St Keverne, potentially going along way to addressing this issue

• In addition we have turned up every month, listened to Parishioners concerns and addressed them whenever possible,  we have liaised with Cornwall Council, other governmental agencies, utilities  providers, police and fire services etc to represent the needs of the Parish, we have reviewed numerous planning applications and delivered fair and considered opinion on them, and we have  addressed hundreds of other issues small and large

These are no small achievements for a group of people also tending to jobs and families and many other responsibilities. These efforts are a testament to the vigorous but good-natured debate we bring to the issues put before us, and the genuine dedication to the Parish that I see in each of you.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our clerk, Grace. Thank you Grace for all of your efforts in keeping the whole show on the road over the last year– you are essential to this Parish Council and a true asset to the community.

Looking forward, this coming year will no doubt continue to present further challenges to us. However, I am confident in this community’s ability to meet those challenges, and I look forward to being a member of this Parish Council and working with all of you in the year ahead.

Thank you