Plans to create a single strategic body to organise economic regeneration in the county were given a guarded welcome by the county council's Cabinet when it met on 1st June. Councillors supported the proposal in principle but identified a number of areas where improvements to the proposals need to be made. These include:
1. Funding must reflect the current commitments to the county's four main regeneration programmes in Barrow, Carlisle, Rural Cumbria and West Cumbria so that these programmes do not loose resources to other parts of the county.
2. The new resources required to support the "Renaissance of Carlisle", following January's storms and floods, should be additional funding and not drawn from existing programmes.
3. Detailed assurances and proper involvement in dealing with the impact on existing staff paid by the county council who may transfer to Cumbria Vision or the North West Regional Development Agency (NWRDA) as part of any restructuring.
4. Cumbria Vision both supports and helps implement the Community Strategy for the county developed by the Cumbria Strategic Partnership.
5. The proposed role of the county council as the Accountable Body for Cumbria Vision should be recognised. The council is currently accountable for £240m of EU and NWRDA funded programmes. The council seeks an assurance that plans are in hand to avoid any damage to existing work programmes.
6. The council's representation on the Board of Cumbria Vision is increased from two to three.
County Councillor Tim Heslop, Cabinet spokesman for economic well-being and regeneration says:
"Cumbria has a declining economy in both its urban and rural communities. Never before has it been more important to speak with one voice at regional, national and European level. If Cumbria Vision helps to achieve that then of course it has our support.
But that must not be at a cost to existing regeneration activities. The work of West Lakes Renaissance in Barrow and West Cumbria, Rural Regeneration Cumbria and the extra funding needed for Carlisle must not be diluted.
The county has to attract businesses that can afford to pay good salaries. Cumbria desperately needs a strong voice at every negotiating table. A tremendous amount of hard work is currently underway, and people across the county have worked well together to begin the complex task of economic regeneration. Cumbria Vision can drive that forward but must do so in a way that fully recognises what has already been achieved."
Details of the county council's views have now been sent to the Chief Executive of the NWRDA, Steven Broomhead in response to their formal consultation on the establishment of Cumbria Vision.