Cumbria election results 2022: Labour and Lib Dems share new councils

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have seized control of the two new Cumbria councils due to come into place in April next year.

Labour won 66% of the seats in the Cumberland authority, which will cover Copeland, Allerdale and Carlisle.

The Liberal Democrats have an unassailable lead in the second unitary authority, Westmorland and Furness, with just a few results remaining.

That council will include Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow.

Labour won 30 of the 46 Cumberland seats with the Conservatives getting seven, Liberal Democrats four, Greens two and independents three.

The Lib Dems secured 36 of the 65 seats in Westmorland and Furness with Labour taking 15, the Conservatives 11, independents winning two and the Green Party securing one.

Carlisle City Council Conservative leader John Mallinson blamed national issues such as "partygate" for his party's results in Cumberland.

He said fines issued to Number 10 staff including Prime Minister Boris Johnson for attending parties in breach of coronavirus lockdown rules were to blame for their poor showing.

Mr Mallinson, who won the Houghton and Irthington seat on the new council, said: "Partygate was a big thing and of course the cost of living crisis.

"[It's] the integrity issue basically, I just don't feel people any longer have the confidence their prime minister can be relied upon to tell the truth."

He also criticised comments made by Environment Secretary George Eustice, who said people should buy cheaper food to help them cope with price rises.

Mr Mallinson said the comments were perceived by voters as "very patronising", adding: "People have not liked it."

Follow the latest on the election results and reaction

Labour's Barbara Cannon, who won the St Michael's Ward in Workington, said people had "spoken very clearly".

She told BBC Radio Cumbria: "We've had people talking to us about the cost of filling their car up and how they are going to afford their energy bills.

"People were just frustrated, fed up and disappointed. They have spoken very clearly today and said 'enough'."

The new unitary authorities will replace Cumbria County Council and six district councils from 1 April 2023.

By Robert Cooper, BBC Radio Cumbria political reporter

Cumberland is a key electoral battleground between Labour and the Tories.

It's been happy hunting ground for Conservatives in recent years, making gains in what was traditional Labour territory.

But those fortunes were turned around in these elections, with a thumping majority for Labour on the new council.

It's a significant result, partly because it means Labour will be in charge of a whole range of local services until 2027.

But also because of the symbolic significance of this part of the so-called "red wall".

It's home to the "Workington Man" archetypal swing voter, which some say won the Conservatives the last general election.

Labour hope now these northern, working class voters, have returned to them.

Some 76,000 of the almost 211,000 eligible voters went to the ballot boxes giving a turnout of 36.1%, the new Cumberland authority said.

The Liberal Democrats celebrated winning four seats including Stanwix Urban which has historically been a Conservative stronghold, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Brian Wernham, who won the seat with 1,472 votes over the Conservative candidate Elizabeth Mallinson's 559, said: "After 49 years of being a Conservative ward, Stanwix urban has now gone to the Lib Dems, I will now do my best to represent the people of Stanwix.

"It's a very sizeable majority, the people definitely voted for modernisation and a new approach."

Victorious councillors will sit on two new shadow authorities alongside the existing councils until vesting day in 2023 when the new unitary authorities fully take over and the borough and county councils are abolished.

They will serve a four-year term starting in 2023.

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