Cornwall Council wants your say on cost of living pressures

How is the cost of living actually landing in your household, and what should the council be doing about it? That is the question Cornwall Council is putting to residents this autumn, through a new survey asking people to weigh in before next year’s budget is set.

What the survey asks

The Let’s Talk About Cornwall survey covers three broad areas: what life is like in your local area, how rising costs are affecting you and your family, and which council services and activities matter most to you. It takes around 10 minutes to complete.

Anyone without internet access can request a paper copy by calling 0300 123 1118, and the results are due to be published later this year.

Why the council is asking now

Council Leader Leigh Frost said the authority wants to hear directly from residents about how costs have hit them. “We know that rising costs have affected households across Cornwall in different ways, and we want to hear directly from residents about their experiences,” Leigh said. “Your feedback will help us understand the pressures people and communities are facing and where they want us to focus our efforts.”

Feeding into next year’s budget

Deputy Council Leader Adam Paynter linked the exercise to the council’s own financial position. “The Council is also facing significant financial pressures and difficult choices about how services are delivered,” Adam said. “The results of this survey will help inform our budget proposals for next year and make sure we are focusing our resources on the things residents value most.

“We also want to understand what matters most to individual communities and where the Council can work more closely with local people and organisations to tackle local priorities.”

How to take part

The survey is open on the Let’s Talk Cornwall website until Sunday 1 November 2026. Responses will help shape where Cornwall Council puts its resources in the year ahead, alongside the usual budget process.

Paper copies are available on request via 0300 123 1118 for anyone who’d rather not fill it in online.