IT IS time for all parties to work together to get the best for Cornwall —that was the message from Callington councillor Andrew Long when he made history last week as one of the first Mebyon Kernow (MK) members ever to be elected to sit at

County Hall.

Cllr Long polled 54% of the vote in Callington, beating Conservative and Liberal Democrat opponents. Other MK wins were at St Enedor and Camborne South.

Cornwall's new unitary authority will be a hung council with 50 of the 123 seats going to the Conservatives, 38 to the Liberal Democrats — who previously had control of the former Cornwall County Council — 32 to the Independents and three to Mebyon Kernow.

Cllr Long said he was disappointed Glenn Renshaw did not win in the adjoining ward of Kelly Bray, but there was a good personal vote for Sevenstones resident Jim Flashman, who won the seat for the Conservatives.

Cllr Long said: 'I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and trying to find out what state this council has been left in by the Liberal Democrats.

'It's time for all parties to work together to ensure we get the best for Cornwall.'

Cllr Long said one of his first campaigns would be to get Kelly Bray unified with the Callington ward for the next elections in four years' time.

'Kelly Bray is part of Callington and should be represented as such. It is a ridiculous situation and is one of several anomalies in the ward boundaries. I will be making representations to the Boundary Committee when recommendations are made at the end of September.'

He will also be gauging support for his proposal for a moratorium on future large-scale housing development in Callington and the surrounding parishes until 'real improvements' have been made to the infrastructure, which Callington Town Council has backed.

Cllr Long said he and the town council had been concerned that Callington Community College was full and children were being shifted to other schools and that there were more than 400 houses due to be built or had planning permission in Callington and surrounding parishes.

'Where are all these new people going to access health and education services and what about the people that already live here?' he said.

'The traditional approach is to build first and ask questions later but we have to stop doing that. We need the infrastructure before any more housing.'

Conservative Cllr Jim Flashman, who was elected to represent the Kelly Bray ward, said he hoped to fulfil the obligations people expected of him.

'I will do the best I can and will represent everyone in the unitary constituency. I am a working man with a young family and understand that these are very trying times. I believe the personal touch is best and will be holding surgeries in the four villages to find out what problems people have.'

Another Conservative, Russell Bartlett, who won the Gunnislake ward, said he was delighted. It was the first time in at least 14 years that the Conservatives had held a county seat in Gunnislake, formerly the domain of Labour's Godfrey Smale, who did not stand this time. He said his first priority was to see a footpath installed to the new Tamar Valley Centre which opens next month.

Both Cllrs Flashman and Bartlett were members of the former Caradon District Council

Long standing member of the former North Cornwall District Council and former county councillor Neil Burden was elected for the Stoke Climsland ward.

l There will be no by-election to fill the vacancy on Callington Town Council — the new member will be co-opted.

Applications to fill the vacancy left by Cllr Sue Nettle have to be submitted to the town council office by June 16.

A by-election would have been held if ten or more people from the parish had come forward to request it by June 2.

Town clerk Vernon Anderson said no-one had requested an election but three people had expressed an interest in the vacancy.

Applicants will be asked to write a brief synopsis of why they are standing which they will be asked to present at the next full council meeting on June 22. Town councillors will then decide on who should fill the vacancy.