THE LEADERSHIP of a new authority for Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland has committed to putting communities first in decision making when taking over from the existing councils next April.

The issue of local involvement in decision making was raised at a meeting of the new unitary authority on Friday.

Leader of the Lib Dems, Councillor Tim Pickstone said: “Could the leader inform members of what plans are being considered to ensure decision making in the new authority can be kept as local as possible?

“For example what plans are there for area committees or other plans for ward or locality working?”

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Leader of the Labour controlled council Mark Fryer said: “We are right at the front end of a slightly rocky journey, maybe a bit of a rollercoaster ride and I think that will all be there at the end of the four years.

“But as we do develop the council plan and that operating model, one area of our focus will be how services can be delivered at a local level and we want to start from a principle of local by default.”

However the authority does not want to “impose solutions without that meaningful engagement that we’ve got to take part in.

“We’re committed to working with members cross party and residents to support the design of those services.”

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Lib Dem councillor Trevor Allison said: “The reduction in the number of councillors from four to only one per ward will be particularly challenging for rural councillors like myself, we have many miles of highways spread across, in my case seven parishes.

“There has been much discussion of an expanded role for parish councils as the first tier statutory body with precepted powers.” He asked if this could be an important step forward.

Cllr Fryer responded: “I think it could be however not all parish councils are the same. Some have teams of officers to support them but some have only a part time clerk.

“The capacity and desire to be more involved is not always uniform across the new Cumberland.”

The leader said more will be revealed in the production of the Council Plan but caution is needed.

“The burden of precepts are unequal already so it does require some careful thought.”

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