Schools in Cornwall are to get extra investment and the Duchy will get greater powers to make its own decisions as part of plans to end the "postcode lottery" in the UK.

Locally, £1.2 million of support has been announced to improve cycling and walking routes between Penryn and Falmouth, helping local residents get active and reduce carbon emissions, after the government first revealed £1.2 billion plan to increase cycling and walking across the country back in 2017.

The announcements are in the government's Levelling Up White Paper published today, which is designed to "reverse geographical inequalities."

The government said that for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly this meant "improving the educational outcome for all children" and ensuring the best teachers stay locally.

It has designated Cornwall as one of the new Education Investment Areas, which will support Cornish schools that were rated by Ofsted as ‘Requires Improvement’ to raise standards, and help local schools attract and retain the best teachers in high-priority subjects.

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Cornwall has also been invited to open negotiations for a ‘county deal’ – a new model of devolution that the government says will give local leaders more powers to make decisions for their communities.

The Duchy is one of nine council areas, along with Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, Derbyshire & Derby, Durham, Hull & East Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire & Nottingham, and Suffolk.

The government said it would continue to support Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly’s natural assets, such as ensuring the England Coast Path is fully walkable by 2025. This, it said, would build on the £120,000 of support through the Nature for Climate Fund, for a new partnership between Defra and Forest of Cornwall.

Local community organisations and partners in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly could also benefit from further opportunities to bid for the upcoming rounds of the Safer Streets Fund, which provides a pot of £50million each year to tackle neighbourhood crime and antisocial behaviour.

Other announcements include:

• Formalising the £200 million from British Business Bank (BBB) Regional Investment Fund announced at the Spending Review 2021, to expand its Cornwall and Isles of Scilly investment fund.

• Up to £7.35 million, as part of £20 million UK Government and local government funding, to support launches from Spaceport Cornwall.

• Details of a new Superbus network, which should reduce fares by around 30%, and see all bus operators and the main train operator GWR brought together by a new Transport for Cornwall brand.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “Not everyone shares equally in the UK’s success. For decades, too many communities have been overlooked and undervalued. As some areas have flourished, others have been left in a cycle of decline.

“Levelling Up and this White Paper is about ending this historic injustice and calling time on the postcode lottery.

“This will not be an easy task, and it won’t happen overnight, but our 12 new national levelling up missions will drive real change in towns and cities across the UK, so that where you live will no longer determine how far you can go.”

However, not everyone is happy with the announcement, with the TUC regional secretary for the south west claiming that Cornwall had been "left behind once again."

Nigel Costley said: “Disappointingly, this Paper confirms Cornwall has been left behind once again.

“This government’s much talked-about, long overdue plan to level up our region is a major let down.

“It simply rehashes old money and, crucially, fails to provide a serious plan to deliver decent, well-paid jobs across the South West, including Cornwall.

“Because if don’t level up our workplaces, we won’t level up our region.

"Insecure work and low pay are rife across Cornwall. And for too many families, being in work is no longer enough to pay the bills and put food on the table.

"Ministers should have announced a plan to get real wages rising – starting with a proper pay rise for all our key workers as well as the introduction of fair pay deals for workers in scandalously low-paid industries.

“And they should have delivered the long-awaited employment bill to ban zero hours contracts – as well as new, meaningful investment in skills and good green jobs of the future."