ONE of Cornwall’s Labour MPs has criticised his own Government for delays in responding to the effects of Storm Goretti on the county earlier this year.

Perran Moon - who represents Camborne, Redruth and Hayle - told a Cabinet Office minister that it feels “once again” like people in Cornwall are being treated as “second-class citizens”.

The storm had a devastating impact on the Duchy. At Goretti’s height on Thursday, January 8, there were 55,000 houses without power – 121,000 customers, according to the National Grid – and 16,000 homes without water across the county. Thousands of trees were uprooted - one man lost his life when a tree fell on his caravan near Helston.

Cornwall’s west coast was particularly badly hit, with some residents going without power and water for five days. The storms following Goretti exacerbated the problems, leading to flooding and even more of the Duchy’s trees being uprooted or felled.

Cornwall Council has faced costs of almost £5 million in the clear-up operation and five months on is still requesting financial aid from central government and battling for reimbursement through the Bellwin funding initiative - a government emergency financial assistance scheme which reimburses local authorities for immediate, uninsurable costs incurred responding to major disasters like storms.

Mr Moon made his feelings clear during a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday (June 2), saying if Goretti had hit other areas of the country such as London or Manchester he suspects there would be answers by now.

“On January 8, Cornwall was smashed by one of the most powerful storms in decades,” he said. “Storm Goretti delivered 100mph winds, thousands of trees were torn from their roots, roofs ripped off and communications infrastructure flattened.

“Despite warnings that storms of this nature will become increasingly frequent, resilience systems proved wholly inadequate and the local resilience forum - not even based in Cornwall, but 110 miles away in Exeter - led to a woeful response at critical moments.

“But five months on, where is the review of Cornwall’s digital connectivity? What is the assessment of Cornwall’s infrastructure?

“When will the Government commit to an overhaul of the 40-year-old Bellwin formula? What assessment has been made of the use of satellite in remote areas?

“I cannot help thinking that if this storm had hit Surrey or London or Manchester, these questions would have been answered and solutions put in place.

“But for us in Cornwall, the home of the critical minerals industry, it feels once again like we are second-class citizens and I have to say to the minister, if he thinks Cornish MPs can be ignored or placated, he’s wrong.”

Following the meeting, Mr Moon added: “I made it very clear and quite bluntly to a Cabinet Office minister that Cornish MPs are simply not going to forget that Government needs to act to deliver that resilience that we need across a range of different areas.

“To his credit in his summing up, the minister recognised this urgency.”