Council backs call for Cornish tick box in census

A petition to allow people taking part in a census to officially identity as Cornish by ticking a box has been backed by the county's council.

The petition started by Johnny Phillips has been signed by thousands of people but still needs thousands more to be recognised by the government.

Cornwall Council leader councillor Leigh Frost said Cornish people were not given a dedicated tick box in the census national identity question, despite being formally recognised by the UK government as a national minority.

The petition, set to close on 24 September, has almost 3,200 signatures of support and needs at least 10,000 signatures for a government response.

"We are the UK's fifth nation and we have our own distinct heritage, culture and identity," said Frost, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We deserve to be recognised on an equal footing."

In January the Cornish language was given top level protection through the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

The census is a government survey of the entire population of the UK.

Beyond counting the number of people, it collects detailed demographic data, such as age, employment and housing to help governments and local authorities plan and fund public services like schools, healthcare and transport.

The next census is set to be carried out in 2031.

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