CORNWALL Council is seeking urgent confirmation from Ministers on the EU funding allocated to Cornwall.

Prior to the result of the referendum on the UK’s membership in the European Union, voters were reassured by the ‘leave’ campaign that a decision to leave would not affect the EU funding that is already allocated to Cornwall.

The campaign also said that Cornwall would not be worse off in terms of the investment it receives — Cornwall Council is now seeking urgent confirmation from Ministers that this is still the case.

There will now be a study on the impact of this decision on Cornwall, both now and in the future.

Cornwall Council said Cornwall has received ‘significant amounts of funding from the EU over the past fifteen years’ and is seeking confirmation that this allocation, based on need, will continue in the future.

Cllr John Pollard, leader of Cornwall Council, said: “Now that we know the UK will be leaving the EU we will be taking urgent steps to ensure that the UK Government protects Cornwall’s position in any negotiations.

“We will be insisting that Cornwall receives investment equal to that provided by the EU programme which has averaged £60-million per year over the last ten years.”

Ashley Fox, member of the European Parliament for the South West of England and Gibraltar, said: “The British people have spoken. Now we must carry out their wishes.

“I have two priorities over the coming weeks. Along with my Conservative colleagues I will work to bring our party back together after what has been a passionate and at times heated campaign.

“Secondly, whichever side of the debate we were on, we must now reunite and put all our efforts into helping negotiate a smooth departure from the EU that safeguards Britain’s interest and recognises that we remain friends, allies and trading partners with our European neighbours.”

In Mebyon Kernow’s official post-referendum comment, it called on the people of Cornwall to come together and demand that Westminster politicians do not sell Cornwall short as they rethink the future governance arrangements of the UK.

It has also re-iterated its commitment to campaigning for a Cornish Assembly.

Speaking on behalf of Mebyon Kernow, party leader Cllr Dick Cole said: “Mebyon Kernow backed the ‘remain’ campaign and we are obviously disappointed that a majority of voters took a different stance and voted to leave the European Union.

“But, whatever our individual views, we are fortunate to live in a modern democracy and, as the Prime Minister quite rightly said in this resignation speech, the will of the British people must ‘be respected’ and ‘it is an instruction that must be delivered’.”

Mebyon Kernow recognises that the United Kingdom is entering a period of great economic and political uncertainty, and expressed particular concern about how ‘Brexit’ will impact Cornwall.

Cllr Cole added: “The people of Cornwall have a massive job to do in the coming weeks and months. We must, as far as possible, be united and we must do everything we can to pressure Westminster politicians to stand up for Cornwall and its communities as they work through the implications of leaving the EU.

“We all know that Cornwall is one of the poorest parts of the UK and it suffers from under-investment from central government. We must campaign hard to ensure that Cornwall will, in the future, receive investment at least equal to that of the EU programmes.”

Mebyon Kernow has confirmed that it will continue to focus on its campaign for greater self-government through a Cornish Assembly.

“Throughout the EU referendum, there was much debate around the issues of democracy and we will be redoubling our efforts to push for meaningful devolution within the United Kingdom with the creation of a National Assembly for Cornwall,” Cllr Cole added.