Cumbria will have a new Mayor-led strategic authority, unlocking substantial additional powers and funding to drive economic regeneration across the county.
At meetings this week, both Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness Councils gave their final consent to the Government’s devolution proposals, paving the way for a new era of locally based decision-making and opportunity.
The new authority will have a range of powers and funding not available to the two existing councils, including access to a Cumbrian Mayoral Investment Fund of £333 million over the next 30 years.
The devolution agreement also means that Cumbria will have a voice alongside other areas at the Council of Regions and Nations and the Great North Mayors’ group, bodies that will shape debates on energy, transport, rural growth and defence.
Cumbria Combined Authority (CCA) will be established in early 2026, operating for a year without a Mayor, before Cumbria’s first Mayoral election in May 2027.
The Leader of Westmorland and Furness Council, Cllr Jonathan Brook, said:
“Devolution gives access to greater powers and resources that will help unlock the huge potential of the whole area. It will ensure that we have access to considerable opportunities to drive forward our area for the combined benefit of residents, communities and businesses.
“This decision helps shift funding and powers currently exercised by central government closer to those people affected.”
The Leader of Cumberland Council, Cllr Mark Fryer, said:
“Supporting devolution shows that we are forward-looking, ambitious and ready to seize opportunities for our residents and communities.
“It is about shifting power and resources from Whitehall to Cumbria, giving us greater influence over issues we know matter most to our residents.
“We look forward to working with the Government and partners to make Devolution a reality.”
Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Councils will still deliver the vast majority of local government services in their areas, as they do now. And both councils will continue their work to integrate and develop those services so that residents experience the full benefit of local government reorganisation, which replaced two-tiers of service-providing authorities with one.
They would also become the two constituents of the new strategic authority for the whole area with two representatives each working with the Mayor.
Key strategic tools and resources that will become available to Cumbria Combined Authority include:
• Transport – responsibility for a county-wide Local Transport Plan, management of the Key Route Network, and influence over strategic roads and rail as well as shaping bus and active travel strategy, enabling a joined-up approach to connectivity across rural and urban areas.
• Skills and employability – transfer of the Adult Skills Fund from central government, as well as co-ownership of the Local Skills Improvement Plan and greater scope to align training provision with local economic needs.
• Spatial planning and housing – responsibility for delivering a statutory Spatial Development Strategy, the power to establish Mayoral Development Corporations, and joint investment planning with Homes England to support regeneration and housing delivery.
• Economic growth – a statutory duty to prepare a Local Growth Plan, responsibility for the Growth Hub and innovation support, and stronger engagement with Government departments and agencies, and more structured route for inward investment.
• Environment and climate change – a duty to support delivery of the forthcoming Local Nature Recovery Strategy, as well as a potential convening role in relation to net zero planning and energy.
• Public safety and resilience – transfer of Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner functions (by later legal order) and new duties around information-sharing and resilience planning, giving Cumbria-wide oversight of public safety.
• Health and wellbeing alignment – a statutory duty to have regard to reducing health inequalities, with Government signalling a potential future alignment of NHS commissioning footprints to Mayoral areas.
The decisions are the culmination of developments that started a year ago when the two councils were invited to express interest in devolution. Earlier this year, they applied for and were accepted, alongside five other areas, to join the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme.
In the summer, the Government published a report on its public consultation into devolution for Cumbria and confirmed the area had met the statutory tests for progressing.
The councils, and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, have been collaborating on background work to assess the benefits and implications of consent. This work will now be stepped up to ensure CCA is in position to make the most of opportunities as they become available.
The Government has also confirmed £1m of capacity funding over each of the next four years to help set up the new authority, recognising that it will take additional resource to enable work to progress quickly and smoothly.
Image credit: iStock
