The commission reviewed the current arrangements in
Westmorland and Furness following the local government reorganisation in 2023, to
make sure councillors will represent about the same number of electors, and
that ward arrangements will help the council work effectively.
The Commissions final recommendations for changes in
Westmorland and Furness says residents should be represented by 65 councillors,
the same number as the council has now but with ward changes and the number of
councillors serving wards in some areas.
Penrith will go from 4 Westmorland and Furness Councillors
currently to five with three serving Penrith South and two Penrith North.
Across the council district there will be 9 three-councillor wards, 12 two-councillor wards, and 14 single-councillor wards across the authority. 28 wards will see changes to their boundaries, 7 will stay the same.
Publishing the recommendations Professor Colin Mellors,
Chair of the Commission, said:
“We are very grateful to people in Westmorland and Furness.
We looked at all the views they gave us. They helped us improve our earlier
proposals”.
“We believe the new arrangements will deliver electoral
fairness while maintaining local ties.”
The Commission received 162 comments from people and
organisations which helped decide the new wards. Changes in response to what
local people said include:
The Commission has made further changes to its earlier
proposals including everting to the existing wards and boundary in Penrith having
originally proposed a third ward taking in part of the north and south war covering
the east of Penrith after representations from the town council and Westmorland
and Furness Penrith North Councillor, Cllr P Bell.
Wards around Penrith across the former Eden District area
will see changes to all wards with the new Shap and Clifton Ward covering a
large part of the area South of the River Eamont with two councillors.
A new Dacre and Ullswater Ward will be created with just one
councillor moving Greystoke into the Hesket and Lazonby Ward with two
councillors.
The Alston Moor and Fellside ward that will over and area
from Alston down to the edge of Penrith with two councillors and the Long
Marton and Kirkby Thore ward will cover the area southeast of Penrith with one
councillor.
The changes to the commissions original proposals for Penrith mean the town council wards will remain unchanged and the council will continue to have fifteen town councillors.
The changes become law once Parliament has approved them.
Staff at the council will ensure that the arrangements are in place for the
2027 elections.
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