The Battle for Cumbria

A Special meeting of Cumbria County Council is set to take place over call for judicial review into Local Government Reorganisation.

The special meeting of Cumbria County Council has been called by Conservative member for Yewdale Councillor Stephen Haralsden.

He claims the county council judicial review into the Local Government Reform would be a “waste of public money.”

The Cumbria County Council leader Councillor Stewart Young recently sent a pre-application protocol letter to Robert Jenrick MP and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government setting out the council plans to call for a judicial review into the reorganisation of Cumbria’s councils the letter also set a deadline of August the 23rd for the Secretary of State to respond and provide requested information to the council regarding the decision and the consultation on the unitary changes for Cumbria.

The government announcement made in July to create two unitary councils for Cumbria replacing the 7 councils of Cumbria County council, Carlisle City Council, Allerdale, Copeland, Barrow, South Lakeland and Eden into 2 East West split council the government described as would see.

Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland form one unitary and Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow the other.

The new unitary will take on the functions of all the councils including Highways, Educations Adult and children’s services bin collections as a few examples.

These services would be paid for and delivered in the 2 unitary by residents in those areas.

Concerns have been expressed this would see a split in services and the amount of money to fund the services in the smaller delivery areas and jeopardise a Cumbria wide strategic and economic plan and delivery.

The motion put forward by Councillor Stephen Haralsden that will be debated and considered at the county council special meeting to be held at Carlisle racecourse on Wednesday the 25th August 2021 10.00 am is.

“This council believes that launching a legal challenge against the proposed Local Government Reform in Cumbria will be a waste of public money and time and that the council should instead focus on serving local residents by working constructively with all partners to ensure a smooth transition to the new unitary authorities.”

The motion however does not appear to call for the action and judicial review to be stopped it only calls for the council to instead focus on working with other councils in regards the planning and transition to the new unitary authorities.

The final change order has yet to go before parliament to be approved this is expected to take place in the New year with elections for the new council held in May 2022 and the investiture day in May 2023 when the new councils will take over and the old council will cease to exist.