The elected members of two new unitary authorities for Cumbria are to meet for the first time next week.
The inaugural meetings of the shadow Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council will take place on Tuesday, May 17.
– The Cumberland Council meeting will be held in the Cathedral Room at the Civic Centre in Carlisle at 10.30am.
– The Westmorland and Furness Council meeting will be held at County Hall in Kendal at 2.30pm.
Both councils will act in shadow form for the next 12 months as they oversee the planning and preparation of the new authorities.
Then, on April 1, 2023 – Vesting Day – the new councils will officially take over responsibility for all services within their respective areas and the seven existing councils in Cumbria will be dissolved. Until Vesting Day the existing councils – six districts and Cumbria County Council – will continue to operate and deliver all current services.
Cumberland Council will cover the area currently served by Carlisle City Council, Allerdale Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council.
It has 46 councillors representing 46 wards.
Westmorland and Furness Council will cover the area currently served by South Lakeland District Council, Eden District Council, Barrow Borough Council and Cumbria County Council.
It has 65 councillors representing 33 wards.
The meetings will see members elect a chair and vice-chair to each shadow authority for the next 12 months, as well as a leader, deputy leader and members of a shadow executive committee.
A number of proposed appointments to interim statutory officer roles will also be confirmed.
Other items on the agendas for shadow members to consider include implementation plans that will enable the new councils to operate in a safe and legal way from Day 1 as well as a code of conduct.
The creation of two new councils for Cumbria is part of Local Government Reorganisation – the biggest change to the county’s council structures since 1974.
The first meetings of the shadow authorities follow last week’s local elections where members were elected to serve a five year term with the first year on the ‘shadow councils’.
