Cumbria to become ‘Unitary Authority’?

Oh not that old hot potato!

The sooner the better, most of the current bunch are incompetent.

Carlisle City are fair to could do allot better.

CCC are worse than useless.

They are so tied up to policy and procedures, rules and working practices they can no longer function.

There are no business Managers, giving a Civil Servant access to the public purse, is like giving a Monkey a gun !!

Cumbria Police, CCC and Carlisle City have wasted tens of millions of rate payers money on ill advised Court actions, Litigation and Disciplinary Hearings, what a waste of our money that should be used on our services. Goodness knows what the rest of the Cumbria Councils have pxxxxed away on meaningless crusades.

Still find it hard to believe they knocked back the Coca cola lorry (too much sugar etc) but the first greasy spoon that wants to open gets permission

Hopefully first steps...

https://twitter.com/newsandstar/status/1076094936389505024?s=21

Let’s hope the new Workington stadium gets built before this happens as it’ll no doubt get knocked on the head under a county authority. May make A better case for Carlisle getting one as well down the line.

Be a tough slog to get this through...been tried /mooted before...all districts will be looking after their own interests...aka jobs !! If we just did away with CCC and left it to the districts that might work!

200 less Councillors if it happens!

https://twitter.com/newsandstar/status/1082566374466162689?s=21

https://twitter.com/newsandstar/status/1224622370863951874?s=21

Looks like it could be happening...

To me it makes sense to merge Copeland and Allerdale and possibly Barrow to have a West Cumbria unitary authority and to make the rest of Cumbria a unitary authority in its own right. Then it would be consistent with Northumberland and County Durham with Hartlepool and Darlington all unitary authorities.

Barrow not associated with WC - more likely a Bay unitary with S Lakeland and Lancaster, possibly the Millom area, too, which tends to look south.

How an elected mayor for 'Cumbria' would then work remains to be seen with two unitaries and a Lancashire lower tier authority incorporated into one.

Looks like it’s moving ahead:

Carlisle’s proposal outlines the Council’s vision for local government in the county, which includes adopting a two unitary model incorporating Eden, Carlisle and Allerdale in the North of the county and South Lakes, Barrow and Copeland in the South.

YES!!!

Been dreaming of this moment ever since I got my first Cumbrian County Councillor sticker album in the mid 90s!

Anyone else getting on the ale big time tonight? Or just me?

I’m still only missing Elsie Martlew from that album. I have my doubts whether there was any ever printed as I’ve never seen one.

Ive got three copies in my swapsies. Not that I'd let you have one of them you swine

Unsurprisingly Copeland would prefer to be in with us in the North!

Carlisle finally in West Cumbria!

West Authority = Carlisle - Allerdale - Copeland
East Authority = Eden - South Lakes - Barrow

Saw that earlier, from Jendrick’s statement:

For Cumbria I have decided to implement, subject to Parliamentary approval, the proposal for two unitary councils - an East unitary council covering the existing areas of Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland and a West unitary council covering the existing areas of Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland. I considered that this proposal met all three of the criteria.

I also considered that the proposal for a single unitary council for the whole of Cumbria also met all three of the criteria. However, having regard to the size and geography of Cumbria, including the geographic barriers of lakes and mountains, and the rurality of its population, I have decided that it would be more appropriate to implement the East West unitary proposal, allowing for more localised decision making, which could be important given the geography of Cumbria.

I have decided not to implement the proposal for two unitary councils – one council comprising the existing areas of Barrow, South Lakeland and Lancaster City and the other council comprising the existing areas of Allerdale, Carlisle, Copeland and Eden. I considered that this proposal did not meet the improving local government and service delivery and credible geography criteria. I have also decided not to implement the proposal for two unitary councils – one council comprising the existing areas of Allerdale, Carlisle and Eden and the other council comprising the existing areas of Barrow, Copeland and South Lakeland. I considered that this proposal did not meet the credible geography criterion.

So basically back to Cumberland minus Penrith?

I'd be on the phone if I lived there, you don't want to be lumped in with barrow.

Cumberland sounds like the perfect name for the new authority,let's hope we can also drop an mp at the same time

Quoted from orfc on Thursday, 22 July 2025

So basically back to Cumberland minus Penrith?

I'd be on the phone if I lived there, you don't want to be lumped in with barrow.

Text from a mate there when I told him spoke volumes - “FFS”

If it was really about 'geographic' connectivity you'd stick all the authorities joined by the M6 together - Carlisle, Eden, South Lakeland - and call it Posh Cumbria. The other 3 are joined by the farm track that is the A595 and could be called Chernobyl - everyone's happy

There's nowt posh in Carlisle, far from it!

Quoted from orfc on Thursday, 22 July 2025

So basically back to Cumberland minus Penrith?

I'd be on the phone if I lived there, you don't want to be lumped in with barrow.

Are you unaware of the existence of 'Cumbria' Council as the major authority since 1974?

Quoted from Whiteside on Thursday, 22 July 2025

Cumberland sounds like the perfect name for the new authority,let's hope we can also drop an mp at the same time

Not at all.

Names of the historic counties shouldn't be applied to new, two-bit unitary authorities.