St Columb Minor and Colan is an electoral division of Cornwall in the United Kingdom which returns one member to sit on Cornwall Council. It was created at the 2021 local elections. At the 2025 election it was won by Christine Parsonage, a member of Reform UK, who subsequently left Reform UK before resigning as a councillor.

Extent The division includes the villages of St Columb Minor, Colan and Quintrell Downs, as well as the hamlets of Whipsiderry, Lane, Mountjoy, Trebarber. The division also includes most of the hamlets of Tregurrian and White Cross, which are shared with St Columb Major, St Mawgan and St Wenn and St Dennis and St Enoder respectively.

Councillors ElectionMemberParty2021John FitterIndependent2025Christine ParsonageReform UKDecember 2025 by-electionHeinz Glanville

Election results 2021 election

2025 election

Parsonage, who lives in Torpoint, from her division, was a paper candidate for Reform UK and did not expect to be elected. This led to criticism from independent councillors about her ability to represent the division; Parsonage said that living outside of the division "means I don't have any conflict of interest, so I can speak unencumbered". In August 2025, Newquay Town Council, which covers part of the division, wrote to Parsonage asking her to attend town council meetings due to members' concerns about her "continued absence". Parsonage responded that due to her work as a nurse, she could not attend town council meetings in Newquay but highlighted that she attended Cornwall Council meetings and answered correspondence. In September 2025, it was reported that Parsonage had taken a leave of absence in order to "concentrate on her wellbeing". She resigned in October 2025 due to health reasons, triggering a by-election.

2025 by-election

BBC News said the by-election had been "tightly fought". Glanville said his priorities would be opposing a park and rail site at Quintrell Downs and campaigning for housing for young people. Fitter, a former councillor for the division, said he would probably retire from politics after his defeat. Leigh Frost, the Liberal Democrat leader of Cornwall Council, highlighted his party's increase in vote share in response to the result.

References