The first meeting of the Cumberland Council leadership took place in Carlisle this week.
Leader of the new unitary authority Mark Fryer and deputy leader Lisa Brown welcomed the executive to the Civic Centre in Carlisle for the inaugural meeting.
Cumberland Council, covering Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland is currently operating as a shadow authority.
This means that it will operate alongside the existing county and borough councils, before they are abolished on Vesting Day, April 1, 2023.
Before taking over as the single responsible authority in the area, Cumberland councillors must use the time to prepare, ensuring a smooth transition.
One of the first items of business for leaders of the new authority was to give general approval to a series of decisions the existing councils may need to make in their final year.
A report was laid before the executive that set out the arrangements of local government reorganisation.
The Secretary of State made a direction to the existing councils when the reorganisation was passed through Parliament earlier this year which restricted borough and county councils from entering into revenue contracts and disposals of land over £100,000 or capital contracts exceeding £1 million without consent from the new authority.
Councillors approved the recommendation from officers and the leader said that it was vitally important Cumbria County Council, the city and borough councils can operate as normal until April 1.
Councillor Fryer said: “I’m going to recommend that we do approve that, I think it’s right and appropriate that we do, I’ve spoken to both Andrew (Seekings) and John (Metcalfe) at the county that probably that’s where those level of contracts are going to be and obviously we want business as usual for the county council, it moves in a higher level than some of the districts.”
The executive therefore give consent for county and district councils to dispose of any land or property if the market value does not exceed £1,000,000.
Councils will also be able to enter into any capital contract where consideration payable or maximum consideration payable under that contract does not exceed £5 million.
They can also enter capital contracts where consideration payable does not exceed £5 million and where the contract is for an educational or care placement.
