Cumberland leader Mark Fryer talks 100 days until Vesting Day

We sat down with the new Cumberland Council leader to get his thoughts on the biggest challenges facing the authority, what the new Cumberland Council might look like and how things have worked since the elections in May.

The new authority will see the former councils of Carlisle City Council, Allerdale Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council come together to create one new Cumberland Council, with all services going under one roof.

Council Leader Mark Fryer says he is 'optimistic' about the next 100 days and making sure that the council is ready for the vesting day on April 1 2023, but anticipates challenges ahead.

"After the initial euphoria of being elected the real challenge starts," he said.

"You don't think it's ever going to be easy but it has been harder than I thought it was going to be and what we have to do is go through everything almost line by line, step by step to make sure in the first place that we get to vesting day safe and legal.

"The primary focus is probably that, alongside the staff and their nervousness because of change - and real change - because we are merging four councils into one."

Mr Fryer said that the next step will be to ensure that services such as adult social care, childrens' services and highways will be divided safely across the two new councils (the other is Westmorland and Furness in south Cumbria) come April 2023, saying that itself will a 'huge task'.

The leader has previously served as leader and later deputy leader of Allerdale Borough Council, when asked how this job differs he said: "It's just a much bigger scale, there's a lot more politics involved but my politics are fairly pragmatic. What it will be, it will be."

Cllr Fryer also said making sure that budgets are in place will be 'an extremely difficult task' for the authority.

He said: "The budgets are difficult, we have got to bridge any gaps and make sure that the services are properly funded and balance the books, that is a huge task.

"And fraught with difficulty especially in the current climate after 12 years of government cuts, with the government introducing more cuts in the next two years."

Mr Fryer said 'it has been great' working with councillors across the different political groups on the council. He said: "We're not different, everybody wants the best for the new council and that's across the political spectrum as well, talking to the other leaders across the political groups.

"The constitution has got to work for all. Although we have a large majority the constitution has got to be written so that it is fair - it is a democracy at the end of the day."

READ MORE: Cumberland shadow authority leader Mark Fryer gives exclusive interview

Mr Fryer said that the process of vesting day should be 'seamless', and hopes Cumberland will bring together all of the previous councils concerned in a fair way.

He said: "That (vesting day) should be when the transformation of the council should start to take place.

"Yes we have will have different areas in terms of the council, but culturally it has got to be about Cumberland and the way we do business in the council.

"We have got representation on the council from right across the piece, deputy leaders Lisa Brown from Carlisle and Emma Williamson from Copeland and the drive and energy that those two people are putting into leading the council is inspirational and I am so proud that they are part of the team.

"It's a bumpy road. I have no doubt that there will be issues, but we will manage them and we are confident that we can and we look forward to having a council that functions for its people, delivering quality services."

READ MORE: New leader appointed to Labour group in Cumberland council 'shadow authority'