A Bill, originally put forward by Falmouth and Camborne MP Julia Goldsworthy, that would help address the decline of Cornish towns and villages has passed its initial stages through Parliament.

The Sustainable Communities Bill, which aims to tackle the growing problem of "Ghost Town Britain", received its second reading on Friday - its first step towards becoming law.

The Bill was first introduced by Miss Goldsworthy as a Presentation Bill, and has support from over half the House of Commons, including every Liberal Democrat MP. A public meeting on the issue was attended by hundreds of people in Camborne, all of whom wanted a greater say over the decisions that affect their communities.

According to Miss Goldsworthy, the Sustainable Communities Bill would allow people to have a greater say over how local and central government money was spent in their areas - and to change priorities if they felt they were misguided.

The MP said: "One of the reasons I am so proud to be Cornish is because we have such strong communities. But these communities are often undermined by the unintended consequences of central government decisions. The Bill aims to reverse this process and let the people decide instead. This Bill would allow local people to press for the changes they would like to see."