As the curtain begins to lower on 2022 it is perhaps appropriate to adapt a seasonal carol to reflect the year in politics. So, to the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas.

"In 2022 Westminster gave to me/Three Prime Ministers/Two leadership contests/And a year enough to make your head spin."

Whilst 10 Downing Street seemed to have installed a revolving door this year there was more stability in the political sphere in Cornwall, although it was still not without incident. So, grab yourself a cup of tea, and put your feet up as we take you back over the last 12 months in Cornish politics.

January

The shadow of Covid-19 continued to hang over Cornwall as the near year dawned and as schools prepared to reopen for the new term, but there were fears that the number of staff absences due to Covid-19 could mean some would have to stay shut.

Some schools prepared by offering students covid tests, Penrice Academy in St Austell was one of a few selected schools to offer both lateral flow and PCR tests for students in a bid to keep covid disruption low.

Cornwall's health and social care system struggled to cope with winter pressures and Covid-19 which led to a declaration of a critical incident. Unfortunately, the situation would improve little as we moved through the year.

Councillors raised concerns about proposed cuts to children's services as Cornwall Council struggled to present a balanced budget and the Conservative administration was accused of breaking a key election promise when it scrapped plans to reintroduce recycling banks in car parks.

February

Cornwall was invited by the Government to bid for a new county deal as part of the Levelling Up programme. It was one of just nine areas invited to bid for more devolution although it would also require the introduction of a directly elected mayor. More on that later.

This month also saw the Carbis Bay Hotel ordered to remove buildings which it said were needed to provide meeting rooms for the G7 summit in 2021 but which were erected without planning permission. It lost an appeal against an enforcement notice issued by Cornwall Council and subsequently removed the structures.

And Cornwall Council set out its budget plans for 2022/23 which would mean the council's share of council tax going up by 2.99% and around 400 jobs cut.

 March

The fate of under-threat leisure centres in Cornwall was confirmed when Cornwall Council's Cabinet agreed that Ships & Castles in Falmouth should close. Whilst there was anger and disappointment amongst its supporters over in Wadebridge there was a glimmer of hope as councillors allowed for more time to find an alternative operator for the town's centre.

Hospital bosses revealed the true extent of problems in the health and social care system when they said that more than 200 people were stuck in hospital beds as there were no care packages available for them to return home. It was the equivalent of seven whole wards and was said to be a key reason for delays in ambulance handovers and increased pressure on the emergency department.

Cornwall's bid to become a UK city of culture failed – the accolade would eventually go to Bradford. And Cornwall Council leader Linda Taylor welcomed news that Cornwall had the highest number of people in the country offering help to house Ukrainians impacted by the war in their homeland.

 April

A group of Cornwall councillors launched a bid to prevent the imposition of a directly elected mayor for Cornwall saying it would give one person "excessive control".

The Government announced how much Cornwall would get to replace the funding it previously received from the EU, but at £ 132 million critics said it was less than half what the Duchy would have received if Brexit hadn't happened. Cornwall Council had previously said it was "critical" for the Duchy to get £700m over seven years. However, Conservative MPs hit back at critics saying that it was not possible to "meaningfully estimate" how much would have been provided by the EU.

Eden Project co-founder Sir Tim Smit had plans for a new project at Gillyflower Farm in Lostwithiel rejected by a planning committee. The plans have since been resubmitted in a scaled-down form.

May

Fears were raised about education provision for children with special needs with parents saying the system is "broken" and the revelation that some children in Cornwall were being sent as far as Scotland to access services.

There were concerns about how much Cornwall Council is borrowing after the figure topped £ 1.2 billion. It was also revealed that the council is spending almost £28m a year on interest repayments.

And council officials apologised after they accidentally published personal information relating to children online. The details were included in an agenda for the council's appeals committee.

A Cornwall Council official also admitted that the authority was failing to provide enough temporary accommodation for people who found themselves homeless. The number of people in emergency accommodation had shot up from 250 before the Covid-19 pandemic to more than 700.

June

As the cost of living crisis started to bite in Cornwall it was revealed that the number of organisations providing food for people struggling had leapt from 20 to 180 in just seven years. The number of people claiming Universal Credit was also shown to have risen.

The director of public health for Cornwall said that NHS dental services in Cornwall were in market failure. It came after new figures showed that just over a third of adults and 40% of children in Cornwall had seen a dentist in the previous year.

Cornwall Council's Cabinet agreed that it would apply for compulsory purchase powers to secure land needed for the Langarth Garden Village development near Truro but said they would only be used as a "last resort". The development of more than 3,500 and other facilities is being led by the council.

The councillor responsible for housing said that the authority needs 1,000 homes to provide temporary accommodation for homeless people. It came after the council admitted that there was a housing crisis with the number of homes available to rent falling dramatically and people finding themselves evicted as their landlords decided to sell up or convert their properties for holiday use.

Cornwall councillors revealed that they have been subjected to abuse and threats from members of the public with one saying they had a message suggesting that they should "die".

There was disappointment amongst sports fans as it was reported that the Stadium for Cornwall was "dead in the water" after it was dropped from a bid for Levelling Up funding. Truro and Falmouth MP Cherilyn Mackrory said she did not support the stadium bid for cash as the money was needed elsewhere.

July

Cornwall Council revealed it wants to spend £7.8m on a unit in White River Place in St Austell town centre as its new base in the town. The council has since left its previous base in Penwinnick Road which is expected to be demolished and redeveloped for housing.

And the number of people waiting in hospital beds in Cornwall despite being medically fit enough to go home hit a record high of 243. A lack of care packages was given as the reason for the delayed discharges.

There was shock as a Cornwall Council planning committee rejected plans for the development of 29 affordable homes in Newlyn and it was revealed that a planned extension to West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance had been put on hold.

It was also announced that the new women and children's unit at Royal Cornwall Hospital had been delayed until at least 2027. The unit was one of 40 "new hospitals" announced by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

August

As the Conservative Party's leadership contest got underway Rishi Sunak came to Cornwall to speak to party members urging them to support his bid. The future PM said he wanted to press ahead with giving local councils the chance to charge extra council tax on second homes.

A bid was submitted for Levelling Up funding for a new £56m Mid Cornwall Metro rail project which would provide a direct link between Falmouth and Newquay. A separate bid was made for funding to improve Helston Town Centre.

Hundreds of people signed a petition calling for a controversial Earth Goddess statue to be removed from St Austell town centre. Some said the £80,000 colourful artwork looked like a sword or a kebab.

Cornwall Council was revealed to be paying almost £1,000 a day for an interim member of staff after the council's monitoring officer left her job.

And council leader Linda Taylor said there were no plans for the council to hold a referendum about whether Cornwall should have a directly elected mayor. She suggested a public vote could cost £1.4m.

However, a couple of weeks later, Cllr Taylor said that she and Cornwall's six MPs would be asking then PM Liz Truss if Cornwall could have its devolution deal without an elected mayor. The request was denied.

September

Cornwall Council was revealed to be one of several local councils which had lent money to Thurrock Council which was investigated due to its exceptional level of financial risk and debt. Cornwall had provided a loan of £20m to the Essex authority.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William being named as the new Duke of Cornwall, councillors at New County Hall invited the new Duke to address them.

Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre claimed it was being forced from its home at Newquay Airport by owners Cornwall Council. The centre said it would be forced to close.

Major concerns were raised by firefighters, unions, and councillors after it was revealed that Cornwall Council was considering closing the fire control room in Cornwall and outsource call handling outside the county. Firefighters said that it could put people at risk, and the council said it was only considering the idea and said it would carry out a consultation before any decision is made.

The deputy leader of Cornwall Council said that the authority's finances were "in a hole" as it faced a £62m budget deficit. David Harris warned that budget plans for 2023/24 would be challenging.

October

In October Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl aircraft arrived in Cornwall ahead of the first-ever launch from Spaceport Cornwall. The modified 747 jet will launch small satellites into space when the first mission takes off, now scheduled for the new year.

The new £85m road which will provide a new link between St Austell and the A30 started to take shape as major works began on the major project which has been talked about for decades.

Councillors suggested that parking charges at hospitals in Cornwall should be scrapped after it was revealed that patients, visitors and staff had paid more than £600,000 in the last year. Liberal Democrats in Cornwall said the charges were a "tax on the sick".

And there were calls for care staff to be paid more as Cornwall Council revealed the challenges it is facing in retaining and recruiting staff into the care sector.

November

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves came to Cornwall and said she was confident that Labour will have MPs in Cornwall after the next election which she said would be good for the county.

Cornwall College revealed plans for a major new campus being built in St Austell to replace its current facilities in the town. Principal John Evans said that the major project would not only transform the college but the whole town as well.

A hotel in Newquay was revealed as being used to house asylum seekers. Councillors and MP Steve Double said that they would be liaising with the Home Office to ensure that the refugees were receiving proper support.

New research showed the impact that climate change could have in Cornwall, stating that extreme weather events like the flooding in Boscastle and Coverack could become more common. Cornwall Council was one of the first authorities in the country to commission a climate change risk assessment.

The latest plans for the Pydar development in the centre of Truro went on display. The major development will see hundreds of new homes built along with a new campus for Falmouth University.

Cornwall Council revealed that it is spending £40,000 a day on temporary and emergency accommodation for people who are homeless. The council set out to create more modular housing developments to help provide accommodation and cut spending on B&Bs and budget hotels.

MP George Eustice spoke out on Cornwall's devolution deal and suggested that the deal and plans for an elected mayor should be separated. The Camborne and Redruth MP also called for Cornwall's unique status to be considered in drawing up the deal.

December

Cornwall Council leader Linda Taylor signed Cornwall's County Deal with minister Dehenna Davison at Spaceport Cornwall. They hailed it as an "historic" deal and urged people to approach it and the plans for a Mayor for Cornwall with an open mind. A public consultation was launched and continues into the new year.

At New County Hall the council's Cabinet proposed raising council tax by the maximum rate allowed without a referendum – 4.99%. The increase in the council's share of bills will include a 2% precept for adult social care.

Councillors also backed plans to introduce a new premium on council tax for second homeowners which would see their bills doubled. The change requires new legislation and could be introduced in April 2024.

New figures showed that thousands of people in Cornwall are waiting for health treatment and surgery. The figures showed that in March 2020 just 49 people had been waiting for a year but by September 2022 that had jumped to 4,558. It was also revealed that 125 people have been on a waiting list for more than two years.

Cornwall Council's Cabinet agreed to devolve the Ships & Castles leisure centre and surrounding Pendennis Headland to Falmouth Town Council. It is hoped that the leisure centre and pool could now reopen.

And new images were revealed of a major new development in Newquay which could see hundreds of apartments and an aparthotel being built on the seafront in the town.

So, that was 2022, who knows entirely what 2023 will hold but we can be certain that there will be a decision on Cornwall's County Deal and whether there will be a referendum on the issue of a mayor for Cornwall. That decision will be made at New County Hall in the summer.

There are also sure to be more developments on major projects being led by the council including Langarth Garden Village and the Pydar development which could change the shape of Truro.