THE by-election for Harraby North has stirred conflicting views about Cumberland Council's distribution of community centre funds.

The upcoming by-election follows the death of long-serving councillor Cyril Weber (Harraby North, Labour) who died last month at the age of 78.

Candidates running include Peri Conner (Greens), Sarah Wills (Lib Dems), Rob Currie (Conservatives), and Justin McDermott (Labour).

The by-election will be held on June 27. 

Allegations surfaced that the Labour-led council was diverting these funds towards community panel pots, raising concerns of a potential competition between the community centre and other community causes.

Sarah Wills, the ward's lib dem candidate, was among those expressing her concern.

“The Labour-led Cumberland Council has taken away grant funding that councils previously gave to our community centres," she said. 

"If I’m voted in as Harraby North councillor, I’ll be fighting for our community centre to receive the money it needs to continue to deliver key services." 

The Labour candidate, Justin McDermott, said: "I think it is fair to say that representatives from community centres have been calling for a review of the grant support offered to them for at least a decade now – it has always been a topic avoided by the previous council, but not the Cumberland Council." 

He went on to explain that standalone grant funding regarding the community centres was not "equitable across the city" before and insisted that the reallocation of these funds by Cumberland Council was evidence of their commitment to local devolution.

"It puts that money in the control of the local ward councillors, those individuals that have the closest relationships with their community centres, and enables a joined up way of working that simply did not exist under the previous grant allocation scheme.

"This way local elected councillors work together with local community centre staff to develop and fund the centres and schemes that most benefit the local community.

"You’ll see from the published agenda of the next Petteril Community Panel due to take place on Monday 17 June, that Harraby Community Centre have put in a bid for £37,400 for a variety of projects – this is on top of existing monies that have already been granted. And this is significantly more than the flat £29,000 grant awarded to them by the former Carlisle City Council.

"Harraby Community Centre is not at risk with Cumberland Council – far from it, this Council is committed to its communities and is backing that up with bold decisions that give them power over what happens in their communities.

 "The Community Panels, where these decisions are taken, are public meetings – and the panels have been created with community engagement at the heart.

"Anyone concerned I urge you to come to the source to have a conversation," he said.