Westmorland and Furness Council has agreed a new Climate Adaptation Plan, setting out how communities, infrastructure and services will be supported to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change across the area.
The strategy was unanimously approved at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 21 April, reaffirming the council’s commitment to strengthening climate resilience for residents, businesses and the natural environment.
The Climate Adaptation Plan represents the third pillar of the council’s climate and nature programme, following the earlier publication of its Climate Change Action Plan and Nature Strategy.
Together, the three documents form the council’s coordinated response to the climate and biodiversity emergencies, first declared by the Westmorland and Furness Shadow Authority in September 2022 and subsequently adopted by the council.
While action to reduce carbon emissions remains essential, the new strategy recognises that mitigation alone is no longer sufficient. Extreme weather events are already being experienced locally, meaning action is needed now to help communities cope with unavoidable change.
The strategy has been informed by the Cumbria Climate Change Risk Analysis, commissioned by Cumbria Innovative Flood Resilience and delivered by Nottingham Trent University.
The analysis highlights that Cumbria is likely to face:
- Hotter, drier summers
- Milder and wetter winters
- More intense rainfall events
- Stronger winds and increased coastal erosion
The Climate Adaptation Plan sets out how the council will respond to these risks, focusing on protecting people, infrastructure and the natural environment while supporting communities to prepare for a changing climate.
The new strategy will now be used across all council departments, ensuring climate resilience is embedded into:
- Day‑to‑day services and operations
- Physical assets and infrastructure
- Work with local communities and businesses
- Management of the natural environment
This whole‑organisation approach is intended to ensure climate adaptation becomes routine, rather than a standalone activity.
Community conversations held during December and January showed strong public support for the council’s approach, particularly the focus on strengthening local resilience.
Residents and community groups expressed a clear willingness to help shape local adaptation actions, reinforcing the council’s view that resilience must be built with communities, not for them.
The council acknowledges that local authorities are not yet fully resourced to deliver large‑scale climate adaptation programmes on their own.
However, the strategy provides a strong foundation for securing future funding, including through the Cumbria Combined Authority and national government. By aligning local priorities with regional and national policy, the plan strengthens the case for investment as funding opportunities become available.
Westmorland and Furness Council will also work closely with the Cumbria Combined Authority as it develops a county‑wide resilience strategy.
This work will be supported by funding from the Local Resilience Forum Trailblazers programme, ensuring adaptation planning is coordinated across Cumbria and informed by shared evidence and best practice.
Cllr Giles Archibald, Cabinet Member for Climate, Biodiversity and Environmental Services at Westmorland and Furness Council, said:
“Climate change is already affecting our residents, our landscape and our infrastructure. This strategy marks a significant step in the council’s long-term commitment to a safer, more resilient and climate-ready future for Westmorland and Furness.
“It’s about preparing responsibly for the challenges we know are coming, while supporting communities to become more resilient and better able to cope with future disruption.
“It provides a useful, evidence-based starting point to support future investment and outlines the initial actions that can help improve resilience for people, places and services across Westmorland and Furness. Adaptation is essential, and this strategy is an important step forward in better understanding the changes ahead and how everyone might respond.”
By acting now to prepare communities and services for those changes, the council aims to help ensure Westmorland and Furness remains safe, resilient and sustainable, even as weather patterns become more extreme.
Image credit: iStock
