Cumbria councils say yes to new Mayor-led authority
With both councils’ consent, the Cumbria Combined Authority will be established in early 2026.
Westmorland and Furness Council has officially agreed to consent to the creation of a mayoral combined authority (MCA) for Cumbria.
On October 14, members met in Kendal Town Hall and unanimously voted to give their final consent for the creation of the Cumbria MCA.
Cumberland Council, the other constituent council that will make up the new authority, met on the same day and also gave final consent.
This comes after Westmorland and Furness cabinet met last month to confirm it was “minded to consent” and the full council meeting earlier in October that endorsed that decision.
During the meeting, council leader Jonathan Brook said the decision was “a historic choice”.
He also said: “The creation of an MCA will fundamentally change the local government landscape in Cumbria.”
The Liberal Democrat continued that he agreed “with the need for robust and effective scrutiny arrangements” in regard to the mayor and that both councils need “an equal voice” in the MCA.
Later in the meeting, deputy leader of the council Andrew Jarvis said the decision was “not about re-creating a county council” but instead was about “making decisions in Cumbria about Cumbria”.
Jonathan Brook told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he was “really pleased” that the decision had been passed.
He outlined the opportunities that the MCA could create in Cumbria.
Cllr Brook said: “We’ll have greater ability to make decisions in respect to transport” and pointed out the “great things” that had been done in Manchester.
He continued: “Skills is another area that will get additional powers to use the funding government provides in a way that better matches the needs of local business for new employees and for people to be trained in a relevant way.”
The council leader brought up the £333m funding over 30 years that will be used in devolution, with that figure being “a floor, not a ceiling”.
He said that devolution would give Cumbria “a voice” on regional bodies including the Council for Regions and Nations.
In previous meetings, the lack of enthusiasm among local Cumbrians has been described as one of the challenges the councils face during the devolution process.
Cllr Brook told the LDRS: “I was fortunate enough to be able to have a conversation with the new devolution minister yesterday, and she agreed with me that we would be putting additional effort into making the case for a mayor for Cumbria and the benefits that will come from that.”
With both councils’ consent, the Cumbria Combined Authority will be established in early 2026.
It will operate for a year without a mayor, before the first mayoral election in May 2027 – at the same time as the council elections.
The mayor would have powers over transport, skills and employability, economic growth, the environment and climate change, public safety and health and well-being.
Other high profile regional mayors in England include Andy Burnham, Sadiq Khan and Andrea Jenkins.