Council slams keyboard warriors who carp from the side lines on social media
Penzance Town Council has hit out at social media critics who have had a go at newly elected councillors.
The post followed follows last week's local and county elections in Cornwall.
The town council says out of the hundreds of prolific complainers on Facebook saying what should and shouldn't be done in Penzance, the number of them who had put themselves forward to be elected to the council was 'zero'.
'It's disheartening to see some negative comments aimed at new councillors before they have even started,' said the council in a post on Facebook.
'These people are not career politicians; they are local residents who have stepped up to volunteer their time for free to help our community and improve where we live with the limited resources available.
'Of the hundreds of prolific Facebook complainers saying what should and shouldn't be done in Penzance, the total number who put themselves forward to be candidates for Penzance Council in the election was zero. In a parish with a population of over 20,000, there were not enough candidates to fill 20 seats, and there are still four vacancies.'
It said these low numbers were reflected across Cornwall, with a vast number of town and parish councils having uncontested elections.
'We are lucky to have a lot of community-minded residents in Penzance parish, and to have some of them as councillors - new, and re-elected.
'Whilst criticism of Penzance Council services is welcomed, a lot of the criticism seems to come from confusion and misunderstanding about what Penzance Council do, and what Cornwall Council do.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UK military could 'potentially' be used to defend Israel, chancellor tells Sky News
The chancellor has told Sky News that UK military assets could "potentially" be used to help defend Israel, and the government is "not ruling anything out". Rachel Reeves said that while the UK is calling for de-escalation in the region, it is also sending military assets, including fighter jets, "to protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies". The chancellor went further than the prime minister last night, who confirmed the movement of military assets, but refused to say if they could be used to help Israel. She also warned about rising oil prices and disruption to key trade routes in the Middle East, which could see inflation in Britain. Politics Hub: Speaking to Sky's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, the chancellor said sending military assets to the Middle East "does not mean that we are at war", and emphasised that "we have not been involved in these strikes or this conflict". "But we do have important assets in the region," she continued. "And it is right that we send jets to protect them. And that's what we've done. It's a precautionary move, and at the same time, we are urging de-escalation." Asked what the UK government would do if the Israelis requested the deployment of assets to support their operations, Ms Reeves reiterated that there has been no UK involvement so far and would not get in to "operational decisions for the future". She said: "This is a fast moving situation. Israel has every right to defend itself. We also are very concerned about Iran's nuclear deterrent." She continued: "We have, in the past, supported Israel when there had been missiles coming in. I'm not going to comment on what might happen in the future. But so far we haven't been involved. We're sending in assets to protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies." Pushed on the question of what the UK would do if Israel asked for support with its operations, the chancellor replied: "I'm not going to rule anything out at this stage. It's a fast moving situation, a very volatile situation. But we don't want to see escalation." Read more: Asked if the UK would support a change of regime in Tehran, she replied: "I've got no time for the Iranian regime for the suppression and repression of their own people, and we have serious concerns, which we've expressed on a number of occasions, about the Iranian nuclear programme. "But we want to see de-escalation at the moment. We are not trying to ramp up the rhetoric." Ms Reeves also warned of the consequences of the conflict in the UK, saying that oil and gas prices "have gone up by just over 10%" since the conflict started, and warning there is a risk that key trade routes through the Middle East could be disrupted.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rachel Reeves Clashes With Trevor Phillips Over Labour's Grooming Gangs U-Turn
Rachel Reeves clashed with Trevor Phillips after the government U-turned on its opposition to a national inquiry into the grooming gangs scandal. Keir Starmer has previously accused opposition politicians calling for one of jumping on a 'bandwagon of the far-right'. But he announced on Saturday that he supports the recommendations of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey, which is being published next week. It is expected to call for a judge-led inquiry into the grooming and sexual abuse of young girls across the country, mainly by groups of men of Pakistani origin. On Sky News this morning, Phillips asked Reeves whether those who had been dismissed for raising the issue were due an apology from the government. As the chancellor tried to say the 'most important thing' was getting justice for the victims of the grooming gangs, Phillips told her: 'No, what I've asked you is the most important thing.' Reeves then hit back: 'No no no. Trevor, what is the most important thing here? It is the victims and it's not people's hurt feelings about how they've been spoken about. 'The most important thing here is the victims of these evil crimes.' Undeterred, Phillips said: 'The reason this matters is because those people who raised these matters on behalf of victims, who cannot often speak for themselves, were accused by government ministers of 'total nonsense, misinformation and racism'. Surely that's important as well?' Reeves replied: 'The most important thing is the victims themselves, and we have been busy as a government implementing the 200 or so recommendations of the previous inquiry.' 'The most important thing is not people's hurt feelings about how they've been spoken about'@TrevorPTweets presses Chancellor @RachelReevesMP on whether the government was wrong to dismiss calls for a grooming gang inquiry as misinformation.#TrevorPhillips📺 Sky 501 — Sky News (@SkyNews) June 15, 2025 Keir Starmer Performs Major U-Turn As He Backs National Inquiry Into Groomings Gangs Here's Why Lucy Powell's Comments On Grooming Gangs Really Matter Yvette Cooper Slams 'Party Political Misinformation' Around Grooming Gang Probes
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Britain ‘not at war' despite sending more RAF jets to the Middle East, Reeves says
Rachel Reeves has insisted Britain is not at war despite sending more RAF jets to the Middle East amid devastating strikes between Iran and Israel. The chancellor said the UK could play a military role defending Israel from ongoing Iranian attacks, but said moves so far 'do not mean we are at war'. Speaking to Sky News, she said: 'We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in. I'm not going to comment on what might happen in the future, but so far, we haven't been involved, and we're sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.' Ms Reeves also warned that the conflict has pushed up oil prices by 10 per cent and could threaten to block key trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, hitting the finances of families in the UK. She said: 'It's very early days, and things are moving quickly, but when we urge for de-escalation in the region, that is in part because of the lives at risk… but also because what happens in the Middle East affects us here at home.' Iran and Israel continued trading heavy missile strikes overnight on Saturday, with at least seven dead in Israel and an unknown number of casualties in Iran. Israel targeted Iran's Defence Ministry headquarters in Tehran, while dramatic footage showed a huge blaze raging at the Shahran oil depot near Iran's capital, after it was targeted in an Israeli attack. Air sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as casualties were reported from strikes on buildings in northern Israel and Bar Yam, a city just south of Tel Aviv. The outburst of conflict was sparked when Israel launched a series of attacks on the heart of Tehran's nuclear programme and armed forces. After Iran hit back, Sir Kir on Saturday said: 'I'm not going to get into the precise details, but we are moving assets, we've already been moving assets to the region, including jets, and that is for contingency support across the region.' 'Our constant message is de-escalate, and therefore everything we're doing, all discussions we're having, are to do with de-escalation,' he added. Donald Trump has vowed to respond 'at levels never seen before' if Tehran follows through on a threat to strike US bases. Posting on Truth Social, the US president said his forces had 'nothing to do with the attack on Iran, tonight" but warned: 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.' It comes after Iran warned on Saturday that it would target US, UK or French bases in the region if they shot down missiles heading for Israel.
