Penrith Town council has called an extra ordinary meeting that will take place on Monday evening to agree a council position on plans for the councils future that include proposals to scrap the town council East ward and reduce number of councillors.
The meeting will take place just four days after just 550 voters out of 2494 registered voters in the ward voted to elected Ron Kelly who got 319 of the votes as the new Penrith East Ward councillor in Thursday’s by election and seven days after its last meeting of the full council.
The town council has previously said that the holding of an extra ordinary meeting costs over £500 from the council's budget funded by Penrith council tax precept.
The council had originally included the item on its agenda to discuss the item at a meeting held earlier this week on Monday evening but due to the by election taking place was forced to defer the item.
The local government boundary commission is currently consulting on its proposed changes to Westmorland and Furness Council wards that will see Penrith gain one extra Westmorland and Furness Councillor but also see changes to the town council wards and council numbers.
The town council has said in a report by the town Clerk, supported by the Mayor Cllr Lawson that the council opposes the plans and believes the number of Councillors should remain at 15.
The town council believes the Local Government Boundary Commission proposals “reduces the potential talent pool of the Council. We are fortunate to have a wide range of in-depth expertise that would be wrong to diminish.”
The local government boundry commission plans to scrap the Penrith East Ward that will be split between the Penrith North ward and Carleton ward reducing the town council wards from six to five along with reducing town councillor numbers from 15 to 14.
Once the consultation on the local Government boundry commission plans has concluded. The commission will produce its final recommendations of the review The new ward arrangements then have to be implemented by a type of delegated legislation that the commission must produce as a draft order to lay before Parliament.
If the commission plans are approved by Parliament as part of the Westmorland and Furness review, the changes to the town council will come into effect at the May 2027 town council elections.
Town Councillors have also been asked to email the council clerk to indicate if they wish to speak on the agenda item “PRIOR” to the meeting on Monday evening.
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