Penrith Town Council has come under strong criticism from local residents as a governance review considers changes that would see the town’s parish area reduced while the number of town councillors will increase to seventeen.
Westmorland and Furness Council earlier this year launched a
Community Governance Review (CGR) of town and parish councils across the
district, including Penrith, to assess whether existing arrangements remain fit
for purpose and reflective of local community needs and identities.
The first phase of the review invited residents and
organisations to give their views on Penrith Town Council, including whether it
still reflects local needs and provides effective and convenient local
government. A significant number of responses were received relating
specifically to Penrith, revealing sharply divided opinions.
Some respondents argued that Penrith should be split into
multiple smaller parish councils, saying their communities were not well served
under the current arrangements. Others said they had heard these proposals and
were strongly opposed, arguing that splitting the town would be divisive and
would not lead to effective or convenient local government or better
representation.
Penrith Town Council itself made a submission to the review
requesting an increase in the number of councillors, without proposing any
other changes.
Among the public responses were a number of highly critical
comments about the town council. One resident said, “I think the Penrith Town
Council is an absolute shambles. Empty shops, the Voreda building. Wasting
taxpayers’ money.” Another said, “I’m unsure of the need for any Town
Councillors. Mostly because they are not active or responsive in the area they
are supposed to represent.” Other responses included, “I don’t know what they
do” and “The Penrith Town Council is a complete waste of money and needs to be
disbanded.”
Westmorland and Furness Council said it is under a duty to
keep parish governance arrangements under review and that Community Governance
Reviews are the mechanism for doing so, noting that some parish arrangements
have not been reviewed for a number of years.
While acknowledging that some residents feel their
communities are not adequately represented within Penrith, the council
concluded that the statutory tests for change must focus on effective and
convenient local government and the representation of community interests and
identities. It said that splitting Penrith into multiple parish councils would
be likely to increase costs and reduce effectiveness and convenience. The
council also noted that all parts of the town are currently represented through
warding arrangements and that residents who feel under-represented are free to
stand for election.
As a result, there is no proposal to split Penrith Town
Council.
However, the review does recommend proceeding with a change
to the parish boundary between Penrith and Yanwath and Eamont Bridge. The
proposal would see the residential area north of the River Eamont transferred
out of Penrith parish and into Yanwath and Eamont Bridge, reducing the area
covered by Penrith Town Council.
This proposal was submitted by the Evolve Penrith Group and
supported by residents living in the affected area. One resident said, “We live
on Skirsgill Lane, Eamont Bridge which is on the north side of the River Eamont
within the Parish of Penrith. Would it not make sense for the properties on
this side of the river to be part of Yanwath and Eamont Bridge Parish as it
would make the village more cohesive, strengthening the bond of the village
especially when we have flooding events.”
Despite the proposed reduction in the parish area, the draft
recommendations include increasing the number of councillors serving Penrith to
17 across six wards: Carleton with three councillors, East with three, North
with five, Pategill with one, South with two and West with three.
Using feedback from the first phase of the consultation,
Westmorland and Furness Council established a cross-party working group made up
of the leaders of its four political groups to oversee the review. The group
used the consultation responses to draw up draft recommendations, which are due
to be presented to Westmorland and Furness Full Council this week. If approved,
the proposals will go out for further consultation in the areas affected,
including Penrith.
Proposals from the Evolve Penrith Group along with local residents
and businesses to replace Penrith Town Council entirely with smaller parish
councils serving identifiable neighbourhoods were considered but discounted by
the council.
The review leaves Penrith facing a situation where its
parish boundary is set to shrink, its number of councillors is set to rise, and
a consultation has revealed significant dissatisfaction among some residents
about what the town council does and whether it delivers value for money. The recommendations
for the changes in Penrith will be recommended next week at a meeting of Westmorland
and Furness in Kendal to approve to progress to the final stage of the
community governance review that is a consultation on the recommended changes.
Following the final consultation a reorganisation order will
be made by Westmorland and Furness Council by September 2026, ahead of
implementation for the May 2027 local elections.
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