CALLINGTON’S portreeve has warned of the challenges ahead for local councils as cuts in funding continue to bite.

Councillor Mark Smith, who runs a newsagent in the town as well as fulfilling his role on the council, has been elected to serve as portreeve and mayor for the third year. It is the first time any councillor has stayed in the role for three consecutive terms, and Cllr Smith said he was ‘overwhelmed by the vote of confidence’ this represented.

Speaking of the now strong possibility of mines being reopened in Kelly Bray, Cllr Smith said: ‘We’ve got a lot potentially going on here. The mining is hugely positive, with a start date of between three to five years they are now saying. There’s something dramatic going to happen up there.

‘But I’ve got real concerns about the services that Cornwall Council will be providing over the coming year and beyond. By 2020 Cornwall Council won’t get any budget from central government, and we’ll see some services cut to the absolute minimum.

‘As a town, I want us to be prepared for that. I want us to be prepared to pick some of these services up, otherwise they won’t get done. We need to be even more forward planning than we’ve ever been.’

Local policing is another area where, Cllr Smith believes, local councils may need to step in.

‘We were recently briefed that we should expect further cuts to the police provision in our area,’ he said.

‘With this in mind, should we be budgeting for an enforcement officer ourselves?’

On a more positive note, said the portreeve, Callington Town Council had achieved several of its long-term objectives and had set into motion a number of projects to improve the town, including the start of work on the Pannier Market roof, and a new toddler play area at the Saltash Road park.