LEADING councillors of a new authority set to take over in Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland have agreed to take on a series of countywide services.
Local Government in Cumbria is changing: by April 2023, Cumberland Council will take over as the single authority in Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland. Westmorland & Furness Council will take over in Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow-in-Furness.
The existing county, city and borough councils will be abolished on that date handing over all responsibilities and decision making to the new unitary authorities.
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In the short term, some services currently delivered countywide by Cumbria County Council will be taken on by one of the authorities and delivered for both areas.
The leadership of Cumberland Council met at the Civic Centre in Carlisle on Wednesday to make a number of key decisions in preparation for their takeover on April 1.
In the absence of council leader Mark Fryer his statutory deputy leader Lisa Brown and non-statutory deputy leader Emma Williamson chaired the meeting.
And councillors voted to host a number of countywide services.
Back-office stock and stock management of community library services across Cumbria will be hosted by Cumberland. It will be a temporary arrangement while options for long term sharing are explored. If long-term stock sharing is not agreed, the service will be fully separate in two years.
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The school library service will also be taken-on by Cumberland for a transitional period while other arrangements are considered.
Archives will be hosted by Cumberland permanently.
Digital infrastructure, Cumbria Coastal Community Forest and Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership will all be hosted by Cumberland for the duration of the programmes.
The community forest will see 5,000 hectares of new woodland and forests planted along the Cumbrian coast in the next 25 years.
The report also informed the executive that the chief executives of the two new authorities have decided Cumberland Council will permanently host Active Cumbria, Westmorland & Furness Council will permanently host the Choice Based Lettings service.
Westmorland & Furness Council will be the accountable body for Community Rail Partnerships in Cumbria.
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