St Columb Minor and Colan (electoral division)
| St Columb Minor and Colan | |
|---|---|
| ward Cornwall Council | |
 Boundary of St Columb Minor and Colan in Cornwall from 2021. | |
| County | Cornwall |
| Current ward | |
| Created | 2021 |
| Councillor | Vacant |
| Number of councillors | One |
St Columb Minor and Colan is an electoral division of Cornwall in the United Kingdom which returns one member to sit on Cornwall Council. It was created at the 2021 local elections. At the 2025 election it was won by Christine Parsonage, a member of Reform UK, who subsequently left Reform UK before resigning as a councillor.[1]
Extent
[edit]The division includes the villages of St Columb Minor, Colan and Quintrell Downs, as well as the hamlets of Whipsiderry, Lane, Mountjoy, Trebarber. The division also includes most of the hamlets of Tregurrian and White Cross, which are shared with St Columb Major, St Mawgan and St Wenn and St Dennis and St Enoder respectively.[2][3]
Councillors
[edit]| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | John Fitter | Independent | |
| 2025 | Christine Parsonage | Reform UK | |
Election results
[edit]2021 election
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | John Fitter | 662 | 51.1 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Mark Formosa | 622 | 48.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 40 | 3.1 | N/A | ||
| Rejected ballots | 11 | 0.8 | |||
| Turnout | 1,295 | ||||
| Independent win (new seat) | |||||
2025 election
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Christine Parsonage | 507 | 35.8 | New | |
| Independent | John Fitter | 414 | 29.3 | −21.8 | |
| Conservative | Mark Formosa | 238 | 16.8 | −31.2 | |
| Labour | Nicola Tettmar | 120 | 8.5 | New | |
| Liberal Democrats | Pauline Avery | 118 | 8.3 | New | |
| Independent | Nigel May | 15 | 1.1 | New | |
| Majority | 93 | 6.6 | +3.5 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 3 | 0.2 | -0.6 | ||
| Turnout | 1415 | 30.2 | |||
| Registered electors | 4,686 | ||||
| Reform gain from Independent | |||||
Parsonage, who lives in Torpoint, 40 miles (64 km) from her division, was a paper candidate for Reform UK and did not expect to be elected.[6] This led to criticism from independent councillors about her ability to represent the division; Parsonage said that living outside of the division "means I don't have any conflict of interest, so I can speak unencumbered".[7] In August 2025, Newquay Town Council, which covers part of the division, wrote to Parsonage asking her to attend town council meetings due to members' concerns about her "continued absence".[8] Parsonage responded that due to her work as a nurse, she could not attend town council meetings in Newquay but highlighted that she attended Cornwall Council meetings and answered correspondence.[8]
References
[edit]
- ^ "Christine Parsonage". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Cornwall Council Interactive Map". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "New electoral arrangements for Cornwall Council - Final recommendations" (PDF). Cornwall Council. Local Government Boundary Commission for England. December 2018. p. 40. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Election results for St Columb Minor and Colan - Cornwall Council elections - Thursday, 6th May, 2021". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "Election results for St Columb Minor and Colan - Cornwall Council elections - Thursday, 1st May, 2025". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Warren Wilkins (7 August 2025). "Reform UK councillor admits she was a paper candidate and did not expect to get elected". Newquay Voice. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Lee Trewhela (21 May 2025). "Reform UK members in Cornwall defend living miles from the areas they represent". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ a b Lee Trewhela (18 August 2025). "Continually absent Reform UK councillor in Cornwall is asked to attend meetings". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 18 August 2025.