Gypsy/Traveller/Cornish? All the same thing to Cornwall Council

Cornwall Council has apologised "unreservedly" for a council tax form that gave people who want to declare their Cornish identity a single option of Gypsy/Traveller/Cornish.

A council spokesman said: "We would like to thank the individual who has pointed out the inappropriate wording on this form and apologise unreservedly for any offence this may have caused.

"The reason that we ask people to voluntarily give us this kind of information is to help us engage with all groups which make up our communities in Cornwall and ensure we provide them with the most appropriate services to meet their needs.

"We totally accept that the wording on this form is wrong. We are already in the process of updating the form as part of the welfare reform changes.

"In the meantime, we will ensure that any remaining forms in circulation will be manually amended. We also provide these forms to registered providers, CAB and Cornwall Housing and will ensure that changes are made across partner organisations.

The spokesman said that the authority was "very proud of our culture and heritage and are committed to promoting the Cornish identity as well as celebrating the diverse cultures which make up our communities".

Adding: "Once again we would like to apologise for any offence; this was a genuine error which will now been rectified. A review of ethnic monitoring information will now take place to ensure we have a consistent approach across the organisation and to prevent errors occurring again in the future."