10-05-2025
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.'
