Louis Gardner to stand down from Cornwall Council

Wednesday, 12 March 2025 11:36

A prominent Cornwall councillor has announced he is stepping down from the Cabinet.

Louis Gardner, the member for Newquay Central and Pentire, has also revealed he will not be standing for re-election in May.

The Conservative, who has previously served as a town councillor and mayor of Newquay, will take up a new role at the council-owned Corserv as Head of Future Air and Space at Cornwall Airport.

Cllr Gardner said: “It has been a real honour to serve on the Cabinet for the past three years, and I am proud of the work we have done to build a Cornwall where people can start well, live well and age well."

Speaking to Radio Newquay today, he explained his reasons for stepping down and denied it's to avoid defeat in the local elections in May:

"Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. I think we’ll see what happens in the election. I’ve had some great support from across my division and there’s no doubt the political landscape is changing. But for me, it was never a long-term plan. It was never something I was going to do in the long term. I wish the candidates that are standing for Newquay Central and Pentire all the very best. Whoever gets elected, it’s very, very hard work and the people of Newquay deserve a local councillor who will put the time and the effort in. I’ve done it as a full-time job for the last four years and I hope whoever’s standing will do the same, because that’s what Newquay deserves and what Newquay needs."

(You can listen to the full interview on the player below.)

The leader of Cornwall Council, Linda Taylor, said:

"I am sorry to see Louis step down. He has been a tireless champion for the business community in Cornwall since taking on the role in 2022. He will bring a wealth of political and defence experience to this new position."

"With just a few weeks until the election, I have decided to oversee the portfolio until then, ensuring we continue working towards a thriving, sustainable Cornwall."

Councillor Gardner says his new role will focus on the development of Spaceport Cornwall, including "future flight" projects such as drones and vertical take-off and landing systems. He also says the ambition is to "return back to launch" with a new company.

The first satellite mission launched from UK soil ended in failure in 2023 when a jumbo jet operated by the American company Virgin Orbit carried a rocket out of Newquay. The mission failed when the rocket, launched over the Atlantic, did not reach orbit.

As Cornwall Council's economy portfolio holder, Cllr Gardner was involved in the stalled process to appoint a commercial partner to jointly run and develop the airport. However, he says he will have no involvement in future negotiations:

"That won't be my role. That will be up to the new councillors, whoever gets elected at the election. And it'll be up to them to find a way forward for the airport, because it's really important that we do find a way forward," he said.

PRESS PLAY to listen to our interview with Councillor Gardner…