THE lavish G7 summit is an ugly contrast to the daily reality in poverty-hit Cornwall, making the need for a level-up package even greater, trade union Unite says.

While world leaders are set to be wined and dined at the scenic Carbis Bay summit, Unite highlighted the plight of the residents today in a county where foodbank use and homelessness have soared amid the Covid pandemic. 

The union urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to make good on his “level up” promise by committing to a five-year programme to revive the Covid-ravaged tourist-dependent Cornish economy.

The global summit is predicted to bring in £50 million to the local economy, but Unite regional officer Deborah Hopkins stressed that this should not be seen as a one-off. 

“The lavishness of the summit is an ugly contrast to the daily reality for many Cornish people trying to survive on poverty wages in an economic landscape where quality jobs to provide future secure careers for young people are scarce and anxiety about the future is rife,” she said. 

“For the so-called ‘levelling-up’ agenda to have real relevance, Johnson and his ministers can no longer treat Cornwall as a pretty backwater.

“A key example of this neglect is Whitehall’s failure to pay for the costs incurred by Covid-19, leaving the council with a £40 million deficit to fund statutory services.

“The summit offers a great opportunity to reverse this policy that has seen Cornwall pushed to the margins in so many ways for far too long.”

Cornish people have taken against the summit, with mass protests planned at the weekend. 

“The communities of Cornwall are disrupted daily by poverty,” a spokesperson for Resist G7 Cornwall said. 

“We are disrupted by rich second-homeowners treating Cornwall as a playground while price houses soar well beyond the reach of most local people.

“Local people are angry and we want our voices heard. We welcome protesters to Cornwall. Our voices will not be heard unless we take to the streets.”

The coalition of grassroots groups has vowed to boycott police-designated areas to protest, which they say are located out of the way, with no relevance to the G7.

“We will not be silenced and we will not ask for permission to protest,” Resist G7 Cornwall declared. 

Protesters are also taking aim at the government’s policing Bill, currently going through Parliament, as part of the weekend’s demos. 

And on Sunday about 80 Extinction Rebellion activists set off from Plymouth on a six-day walk to Carbis Bay ahead of the summit to demand world leaders put the climate emergency at the top of their agenda.