Cumbria’s councils have confirmed they will work together as the Government offers to begin to explore devolution for the county.
Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council welcomed the offer from the Department of Levelling Up and leaders said they would be happy to work with them.
A letter, signed by the leaders of each council, has been sent to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Jacob Young.
Joint working is already demonstrated within the council areas. Earlier this month the councils confirmed that they are working together on the transfer of the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership functions across Cumbria. A new Cumbria Economic Growth Board is also in the process of being established.
Leader of Cumberland Council Mark Fryer, said: “We continue to work with Westmorland and Furness Council on a variety of hosted and shared services. The relationship between the two councils is as strong as ever, and the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership transfer is a catalyst for us working together on the economic prosperity of Cumbria.
“We are fully supportive of key developments underway within the wider region and know there is real benefit to us working together to create a strong voice for Cumbria.”
Jonathan Brook, leader of Westmorland and Furness Council, added: “Both councils are ambitious for their areas and passionate about both delivering strong services and creating new opportunities for residents and businesses.
“We welcome any opportunity that enables us to move further and faster with bringing our vision to reality for the benefit of people across our respective areas.”
