Labour has swept the board to gain control of the new Cumberland Council.
The new council will replace Allerdale, Copeland and Carlisle authorities and the county council. A new Westmorland and Furness Council will cover the area currently under control of Eden, South Lakes and Barrow.
The overall turnout for the Cumberland Council election was 36.1 per cent – with 76,053 people voting out of an eligible electorate of 210,788.
National pundits are calling the Labour result significant because all three districts are represented by Conservative MPs.
Workington man was a target for the Conservative Party and the Workington and Copeland constituencies are considered red wall seats in Parliament.
The Labour Party will take overall control of the new 46-seat Cumberland Council. The majority to take control was 24 and they hold 30 seats on the authority. The Conservatives have seven seats, the Liberal Democrats four seats, independent councillors three and the Green Party two seats.
This means Labour have gained 12 seats, the Conservatives have lost 14, the Liberal Democrats gained two, the Green Party gained two and the Independents lost two.
Carlisle City Council leader John Mallinson, a Conservative, has been talking to Radio 4 and said his party had felt a lot of anger while they were out on the streets.
He said: “We’re in a difficult position regarding the economy and are really hurting due to the Ukraine war and the pandemic.”
He told Cumbria Crack: “I’m very very disappointed but not entirely surprised. Things aren’t going too well it has to be said. Most of our woes are national rather than local. “I think things like Partygate are going very much against us.
“I fully expect the 54 letters to be submitted to the chairman of the 1922 committee. I am very sure the PM’s position is untenable.
“There was very much an anti-Boris feel. It is very very frustrating. We have a very good team and we have only taken three out of the 18 seats in Carlisle which is unheard of.
“We have a lot of good and talented candidates and we have lost some very good people.”
He said the Liberal Democrats had done some damage but he laid a lot of blame at the Prime Minister’s door. He said Boris Johnson had ‘never been his type of politician’ and they were ‘different sides of the fence’. He said he expected to see a leadership election in the summer.
Cyril Weber, Labour’s winning candidate for Harraby North, said: “Obviously it is 40 odd years since I was first elected in 1979 and I am proud to be the first councillor in Cumberland.
“It is nice to be comfortable. I always put the community first. Harraby is first, second and third for me. It always has been and it always will do. “I am a community councillor and I always have been. Community is the most important thing.
“I always anticipated, but you never take anything for granted.”
Labour’s Abdul Harid regained his seat as a councillor at the third attempt, having served as a Carlisle City Councillor until 2019.
Having previously served the Currock ward, he beat Conservative candidate James Bainbridge to take Belle Vue.
“I feel absolutely fantastic,” he said. “This is my third attempt to get back onto the council after 12 years representing the constituency of Currock.
“There are challenges in Belle Vue that were similar issues as in Currock. I will be someone who is actively involved in the community.
“In Belle Vue, there is no community centre. In Currock we had one, so I will be looking at that to get young people involved in community projects and looking at something to get the young ones out of trouble.
“In the last few weeks there has been a lot of anti-social behaviour and arson incidents and people don’t feel safe in their own homes. That is the last thing people want, to feel afraid where they live.”
Mr Harid is also keen to tackle issues such as potholes, dog fouling, the availability of doctor and dentist surgeries and speeding.
Votes for the Westmorland and Furness Council will be counted on Friday during the day and we’ll bring you those results as they are declared.
