01/12/03 - Boundary Committee Includes Single Cumbrian Council Option for Regional Referendum

The Boundary Committee announced today (1-12-03) it is recommending that the single Cumbria option is included on the ballot paper should there be a yes vote in the regional government referendum in autumn 2004.

The County Council’s submission to the Boundary Committee showed that a new unitary Cumbria council will:

• Deliver strategic capacity and quality of services
• Work effectively with Cumbria’s diverse local communities
• Produce major savings for council tax payers
• Exert significant influence for Cumbria on the regional and national stage.

Leader of the Council Rex Toft says: 

“We are pleased the committee has listened closely to our reasoning and is recommending the single unitary council as an option.  This is the best option to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead whilst delivering better value and services.  

“If there is a yes vote for regional government in the North West all the existing councils will disappear.  A single unitary Cumbria is the only option that will pay for the costs of the reorganisation and deliver efficiency savings within just a few years.  The other options recommended by the Boundary Committee will take at least a generation to pay for the huge cost of the changes.

“A single Cumbria council will be big enough to exert enough influence to secure regional and national support and funding for Cumbria. Smaller organisations will be overwhelmed by the interests of Greater Manchester and Merseyside.”

Councillor Mike Ash, Deputy Leader says, 

“A new Cumbria unitary council will mean a completely fresh start for local government in our sub-region.  We will now commission officers to look at how a new single council could work effectively, involving all the urban and rural communities in the county, and maximising the influence that the County would have in the Region.”