THE new leader of Cornwall Council says that he wants to build trust with the residents of the Duchy.

Julian German, an independent councillor, was elected as the new leader of the council at the council’s annual general meeting on Tuesday morning.

The Roseland councillor started his political career as a parish councillor and served on the former Cornwall County Council before being elected to its successor in 2009.

Since then he has served on the Cabinet and was deputy leader for the past two years before being elected to take over from Liberal Democrat councillor Adam Paynter.

Speaking after his election, a clearly proud Cllr German was congratulated by councillors who passed him in County Hall and said he was “delighted”.

He said: “I reflected in my speech on being a parish councillor and how we can make a difference in our roles as community leaders, facilitating and being a catalyst in our communities and making things happen.

“I am really pleased now to have the opportunity to do that on a larger scale.”

Asked about the perception of some people that the council is not working for Cornwall, Cllr German was clear that he knows there is work to do.

“Cornwall councillors are residents of Cornwall, our staff are residents of Cornwall, we might not have been communicating it well enough why we are doing what we are doing, how we form our priorities and deliver services for the people of Cornwall – but that is the reason why Cornwall Council exists, to help the people of Cornwall.

“We need to talk to the whole of Cornwall more. Cabinet will be going out over the next few weeks and meeting people and talking to them about what we are doing.

“We need that engagement and we need that to happen with all councillors, they need to be seen in their communities and engage with their communities.

“It is about building that trust with residents so they know why we are doing what we are doing. The first ten years of the council has seen us go through a lot of change and we need to build that trust with residents and show them we are here to help Cornwall.

“I will be working hard to continue to build that trust.”

Cllr German said he was not planning to make any major changes to the direction the council is going but wanted to build on a good track record from the last few years.

“We have set out our priorities that have been built in listening to residents and are based on what residents want to see the council do. We are not changing what we are going to do and have been doing but we will build on it.

“The residents of Cornwall know best and what is best for Cornwall. I want to make sure that we continue to engage with people and listen to them.”

The new council leader is a big supporter of all things Cornish and opened his State of Cornwall in the National Context address in Cornish.

Cllr German said Cornwall’s culture and heritage was important – not only in celebrating Cornwall’s distinctiveness but also for economic and social reasons.

“Our culture is fantastic. We have community events and festivals which happen and help to bring people together – this is great for social cohesion and also important for the economy.

“Our culture is a key economic driver and our creative industries are really important. It can help to build a better all year round economy for Cornwall.

“And it can also be good for people’s mental health and their general wellbeing. I want us to champion our culture and encourage it.”