Cornwall is one of the rural areas most vulnerable to Brexit, according to a new report which calls for greater powers and investment to counties to mitigate the impact of leaving the EU.

A new report released from the County Councils Network (CCN) and Grant Thornton, titled ‘Capitalising on the Industrial Strategy’, says that despite England’s 37 counties being home to 26 million people, much Brexit policy has to date focused on London and the major cities.

Cornwall is outlined as the tenth most vulnerable area to the impacts of Brexit, according to measures such as unemployment rates, benefit claimants, skills of an areas workforce, and qualifications.

The report examines the challenges and opportunities facing counties as they prepare for Britain’s new economic future.

The report argues that localised industrial strategies, spearheaded by counties alongside Local Enterprise Partnerships which deliver some Government funding, could be the vehicle for areas to ‘take back control of their economic destinies.’

These local strategies must be backed by a fairer share of infrastructure investment, an adequate replacement of EU Structural Funds, and a greater policy emphasis on counties, the CCN suggests.

A recent survey of county leaders, carried out by CCN, also found a significant majority want local economic partnership boundaries reviewed so they are the same as county boundaries.

Cornwall Council deputy leader Cllr Julian German said: ‘Our local determination is strong and we are focused on increasing Cornwall’s fiscal contribution by £2 billion into the national economy, but we need greater self-determination.

‘Cornwall has a growing economy in global industries such as renewable energy, creative and digital technologies, space technology and lithium mining, alongside traditional industries like agriculture and fishing – but we need a range of tools, freedoms, deals and local powers to match our ambitions to improving our resilience and economy.’