Council Meetings Suddenly Cancelled as Section 151 Officer gives Confidential Briefing on Emerging Issues.

The meeting was scheduled to take place at County Hall in Kendal with the councils 65 councillors attending.

The councils suddenly cancelled a cluster of meeting next week with the exception of one meeting that will see members of the councils pensions committee receive a confidential verbal briefing by the councils section 151 officer on “Emerging Issues”.

The verbal briefing will be given in a private meeting and comes after the council section 151 officer confirmed last month in a report to the councils cabinet that Westmorland and Furness Council is facing a shortfall of millions in its budget.

It comes as the council is we can reveal facing over 200 equal pay claims that are lodged with the Employment Tribunal against Westmorland & Furness Council that could leave the council facing crippling bills running into millions of pounds.

One Westmorland and Furness Councillor has expressed concerns that the cancellation of the full council meeting next week, creates a lack of accountability and scrutiny of the leadership and council's actions since the last meeting in November.

Westmorland and Furness Councils next full council meeting is scheduled for February putting a three-month gap between meetings. The February meeting will be to approve the council's budget and set the council tax that the cabinet announced in December plans to increase council tax by 4.99%.