Cumbria councils still divided over restructuring plans

Four different ways of reducing the number of councils in Cumbria are being put forward to ministers.

Cumbria has six district councils and a county council but the government wants to reduce the number of local authorities to save money.

However, the councils have not been able to agree on how to do this.

Barrow Borough Council leader Ann Thomson said: "In all my 30 years in local government I have never been though such an intense period of work."

The council had "lived and breathed this application", she said.

Cumbria County Council has argued for just one authority covering the whole county.

The six district councils all oppose that but do not agree on a single alternative.

Carlisle and Eden want to join Allerdale in a north-south split but Allerdale and Copeland want to merge with Carlisle for an east-west split.

Barrow and South Lakeland want to join Lancaster to create a Morecambe Bay Council.

Four of Cumbria's five Conservative MPs advocate a two-way split within Cumbria, with an overarching elected mayor.

The government is planning a reorganisation of local government in England, with more directly-elected mayors, more unitary authorities and stronger town and parish councils, which it says will devolve power to local people.

The councils' applications will now be reviewed by the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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