Brexit: Cornwall will keep Brussels office despite calls for it to be scrapped

Conservative councillors say EU base is ‘waste of taxpayer money’

Fishing boats in Portloe, Cornwall (PA)

Cornwall Council has confirmed it will keep an office in Brussels after Brexit - even though the county voted overwhelmingly in favour of leaving the EU.

Leader Julian German, an independent, told a council meeting last week the bureau was "really important" to maintain trade and access for local businesses after 31 December.

He also raised concerns that government would fail to meet its promise to match EU funding for the region, which is the poorest in England.

However Tory MPs and councillors for the area have repeatedly called for the office to be scrapped as a "waste of taxpayer money" and have accused council cabinet members of “being in denial that we are leaving the EU”.

Cornwall Council said in a statement that the current contract to provide the Brussels office was £80,000 for this financial year and that further funding will be provided to keep it going until April 2022.

"The Cornwall Brussels office is an important resource at a key point when the new trading relationship with the EU will be bedding in from January 1, and when local businesses may need support and intelligence to help them adapt to whatever form this new trading relationship takes," a spokesperson said.

"The Cornwall Brussels office also plays an important role in providing advice to individuals and business networks in terms of how to apply for remaining EU funding and on implementing EU funded projects which will run up until the end date for that funding in 2023."

When the council advertised for a new Head of Brussels Office in July, the Conservative group leader Linda Taylor described the decision as "outrageous".

She added: "On behalf of the people of Cornwall, the majority of whom have voted for Brexit, a firm message needs to be sent to the administration – stop wasting taxpayer money on these ambitions, particularly at the moment, and use it to support the people and businesses that pay your wages."

In the wake of the Brexit vote in 2016, Cornwall Council made headlines for appealing to keep its EU funding - which contributed towards Newquay Airport and the Eden Project - despite the antipathy for Brussels among its residents.

Cornwall has now applied for £700m over 10 years from the government to replace EU grants but senior councillors have suggested the county could get as little as £1.8m in the first year.

Cabinet member Tim Dwelly said: "To stand still, with EU levels of funding, Cornwall would have needed the government to commit to at least £100m a year from the Shared Prosperity Fund.  

"Instead of matching the current EU funding, Cornwall will at best get just over half of this amount – and we don’t even know when yet. If Cornwall’s current allocation ... is repeated in the new fund that replaces it, it will get £57m a year.