THE Government?s approval last week of a single council for Cornwall was described as ?a sad day for democracy? by a leading town and district councillor in Callington. Under the new structure, all six district councils, including Caradon, will be abolished by March 31, 2009 and the county?s services will be run from Truro. Cornwall County Council, which made the proposal to the Government, says the new authority will save more than £17-million of Cornish tax payers? money a year. But Callington town and district councillor Andrew Long, a member of Mebyon Kernow, said the new system would take services further away from the people. ?There was a suggestion that this would be a halfway house to a Cornish assembly, but under a Cornish assembly there would be six district councils providing local services. ?Taking powers away from the district council makes it less democratic than before. However, the decision has been made and I would like to think that the elections would be held as soon as possible so we can get a new group of councillors getting to work on it.? Mr Long said it was up to Mebyon Kernow and its supporters to fight for powers to be brought to local people and the party would be putting as many candidates as possible forward for the new authority. ?At the moment it is all shrouded in mystery ? we do not know the details of how it will work. ?We don?t know if under the new structure more powers will be given to town and parish councils but it is something we are ready for in Callington.? Leader of Caradon Council Tony Powell said: ?It is important we unite and put all our efforts into shaping the county proposal to ensure that we in South East Cornwall continue to receive the very highest levels of services and investment and that our electorate are represented effectively within the democratic process.? The county council submitted its ?One Cornwall, One Council? proposal to the Government at the end of January 2007. Since March the Government has been seeking views of local district, town and parish councils, police, fire service, health and voluntary and community organisations and trade unions. At least 16 community network areas are planned to cover the county. Over the next few months, the county council will provide information about the proposals and what this change will mean for residents. Chief executive of the county council Sheila Healy said the decision marked a new beginning for Cornwall: ?There is a huge task ahead and we will now be looking to work with district councils and town and parish councils, partner organisations and members of the public to address any concerns and ensure that we create a new system of local government of which we can all be proud.?