Campaigner 'overwhelmed' after petition success

Kitto's Field car park was one of 19 in Cornwall that were set to be transferred to a private company

A campaigner said he was "absolutely overwhelmed" after Cornwall Council announced it would scrap the transfer of council-owned car parks to a private company.

Jona Jones, from Porthleven, set up a petition after the plans were announced by the previous Conservative administration.

The 19 car parks, including ones in Newquay, Tintagel, Porthleven, St Ives and Fowey, were in line to be affected before new council leader Leigh Frost reversed the proposal.

Mr Jones said he was "delighted by the decision".

After he first discovered the plans, Mr Jones said he contacted Cornwall Council which he claimed informed him there was "no route for appeal".

"If there's no route, I'll make my own route," he said.

"Apart from the petition we have sent off email after email, and pushed and pressured.

"It just goes to show with this administration, your vote counts."

Had the car park plans gone ahead, it would have seen 19 council owned car parks transferred to Corserv Solutions Ltd.

Leigh Frost was speaking at the first cabinet meeting of the new administration

At the new council's first cabinet meeting on Wednesday, it was also announced the planned sale of Cornwall Airport Newquay would be scrapped.

He said: "Reversing these decisions protects our airport and car parks for the benefit of our communities, our economy, and our future.

"This is about common sense, getting back to basics and making sure our public assets work for the people of Cornwall."