Should Penryn take back control of its port or are Cornwall's harbours better together? That was the issue fiercely debated at the latest town council meeting on Monday (6/2).

Councillors were discussing the potential devolution of the Port of Penryn, following plans to create a new Harbour Order for all the facilities currently run by Cornwall Council through its Harbours Board.

The harbours plan, as discussed at a meeting of Penryn's planning committee, would see Penryn and Truro harbours, along with Prince of Wales Pier in Falmouth and the harbours at Bude, Newquay, Penzance, Portwrinkle, Portscatho, Portreath and St Ives, all brought under permanent control of the harbours board, run by the council's harbour master. It would guarantee that the harbour master retains control over the running of the harbour's rather than a Cornwall Council member or portfolio, with all surplus after running costs placed into a shared pot and used for improvements to port facilities.

At the planning meeting in December councillors said running a port was beyond the expertise of the town council, but the harbour order could mean the town permanently lost control of the port. It was noted the port currently had £300,000 ring fenced reserves, turned a profit, and could be run with competent employees, and the issue was passed for full council consideration.

At Monday's meeting Councillor John Langan, who is pushing for the port to leave the group and be managed by the town, said: "Truro and Penzance don't want to get involved because they are surplus making. Nobody else makes money, we are the third one.

"Andy Brigden [Cornwall Council's Maritime Manager] wants the ones with money in the bank to fund the others."

He proposed that a group of councillors create a business plan to prove the port "can stand alone," before entering into a "meaningful discussion," and added: "There's costs involved but we've got money in the kitty."

However Councillor Mary May, who sits on Cornwall Council's Harbour Board - which currently runs the harbours, including Penryn - argued that the town would not benefit as the money "is not for Penryn, it's for our port." She added that Penryn and Truro Harbours' reserves were guaranteed to be ringfenced under any future order.

She also pointed out that Penryn going it alone would mean extra costs for the town, a need for new equipment and staff, and the port would lose out on economies of scale. However she admitted "things don't get done [under the current system] and it's hard to spend our money."

She warned councillors to "make sure you know what you're asking for," with a working party.

Mr Langan responded that he did not intend to spend any of the reserve, but the port could make a surplus and running the port was "not rocket science," but "only accounting... only sending out bills."

Councillor David Garwood agreed "in principle" with Mrs May, and said if the port didn't help support others "we'll just pay more council tax or something" as Cornwall Council looked at other ways to fund the smaller harbours.

But what did appeal to him about making Penryn an independent port was if it could be made "nicer for the town or for the community."

And Councillor Keven Green said the town had a "beautiful harbour" and it should "come back to the town."

The council voted to create a working party to put together a business plan for the port.