Collin Brewer Re-Elected To Cornwall Council
Sadly, I have to report this. A sad day for Cornwall and for disability campaigners everywhere.
A Cornwall county councillor who quit after saying disabled children should be “put down” has been re-elected to the unitary authority.
Collin Brewer, 68, won the Wadebridge East ward as an independent candidate with 335 votes, a majority of four after resigning in February.
He said he stood again because he was asked to by people in the ward.
Disability Cornwall said it was “shocked beyond words” and that it was a “sad day for Cornwall”.
The announcement of Mr Brewer’s election was greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers.
‘Proud to stand’
He said he had decided to stand again because he was asked to by people in the ward and “all over the county”.
“I have apologised, the people in Wadebridge wanted me to stand and I’m proud to stand for them.
“People said with their votes they knew I didn’t mean that. I resigned because of unbearable media pressure.
“The people of Wadebridge put me back. They know me.”
Mr Brewer said the comments, made to a Disability Cornwall member at a stall at County Hall in Truro in 2011, were only to “provoke debate”.
He said disabled children should be put down because they cost the authority too much money.
The comments came to light following a report by the council’s standards committee after the charity made a formal complaint.
Mr Brewer faced strong criticism and he apologised to the charity, resigned as a councillor and said it was unlikely he would be a candidate in the May elections.
When submitting his candidacy, Mr Brewer said he was re-standing because he had a “good record” of service as a district, county and Cornwall councillor stretching back more than a quarter of a century.
‘Staggered and confused’
Disability Cornwall chairman Steve Paget said he was “staggered” and “appalled” at the election result.
He said: “I’m just confused that anyone who advocated putting disabled children down in any context could be re-elected as a public figure in Cornwall.”
In a statement, the organisation said many members were “deeply saddened to hear this, and worry what this could mean for us all, with such discriminatory views held by the ‘leaders’ of our county”.
It said: “This incident caused outrage when it was featured throughout the press in the UK and beyond, because, like us, people were truly shocked and saddened by it.
“Truly, a sad day for Cornwall.”
Same Difference 
Learn to forgive, the gentleman has apologised and admitted the error of his ways, he was wound up by a so called do-Gooder and snapped, we all do it sometimes. He has been a magnificent councillor for Wadebridge………
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You Sir, are ill-informed. He was not ‘wound up’ by anyone. He made this abhorrent remark at a public event, would not have apologised on his own and, has described his remark as a ‘Cornish joke’. May I strongly suggest you get your facts correct before passing comment
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And you, sir, have an agenda.
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So Joe, do tell me what my ‘agenda’ is exactly?
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it’s a very sad day for the country not just Cornwall and mr brewers views just like many conservative mp’s are all to common
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According to Cornwall Today he has said the same sort of thing again, questioning whether we can afford the costs of disabled babies alive becase of ftre costs to the whole commnity and, shockingly comparing the £ 250,000 it might cost to keep a disabled person independent with the cost of pblic toilets. “I had just been to a council meeting which was discussing finance. When you are talking about having to close toilets, facilities for everyone, and perhaps the coastal footpath for everyone, then I have got to question individual budgets to individual people.”
He added: “People are not on this earth for very long. My main concern is planning and environmental [issues] and landscape. In that context, people are just transient. I have heard of terrific amounts of money being spent on specific individuals.”
He did call for more facilities for disabled people to be built in Cornwall, to save the cost of sending them to expensive out-of-area placements, and also praised the move away from the use of “massive institutions” for people with mental health conditions.
I live in Cornwall, I am a taxpayer and you are right, Joe Gargery, I do have an agenda.
I do not want Cornwall Council to discriminate against disabled people or foment hate crime. I would willingly pay more tax so that the government and the council can support disabled people and the coast path, both of which I value highly. Indeed while we are at it, why not some accessible toilets near the coast path. I am not particlarly disabled at the moment, but anyone can become disabled and this does not stop them from being a hman being.
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