The war of words broke out as the first day of the new Westmorland and Furness council arrived as the biggest change to local government in the area in almost 50 years.
The arrival of Westmorland and Furness has created a growing calls for Penrith and areas around the town to be returned to Cumberland as its historic county.
A social media war of words has erupted over the situation with Cllr Patricia Bell the new Deputy Leader of Westmorland and Furness council. Laying the blame for the boundary and naming of the new councils with the government.
The comments made following a protest in Penrith and other calls for Penrith to be returned to Cumberland that the town was part of before the 1974 local government changes that first created Eden and Cumbria that the new council has replaced.
In a comment made on social media Cllr Bell said “The government chose where the boundary between the new councils would go. The government also chose the council names. Cumbrian residents and Cumbrian councils were given no say as to what the names would be.”
In response to the comments Workington MP Mark Jenkinson who was a key advocate of the proposal made by Allerdale Council and Copeland council that government implemented to create Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council.
Accused Cllr Bell of Patricia Bell of telling an outright lie.
The Workington MP’s social media reply to councillor Bell stated:
“Patricia Bell that is an outright lie, nothing less than we should expect for a Lib Dem.”
The actual changes to local government in Cumbria started in October 2020 when the then Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick, invited all the councils in Cumbria to submit proposals for changes to local government in Cumbria.
In total four proposals were made one by Cumbria County council for a single council for all of Cumbria and 3 separate proposals from the 6 district council for a two council option with the proposal by Allerdale Council and Copeland Council selected by Robert Jenrick as Secretary of State in July 2021.
The 7 former councils all helped in the creation of the changer order and the name selection of the new councils.
It has also emerged that the former leader of South Lakes Council and Leader of the New Westmorland and Furness Council along with the Libdem group on the council proposed and supported the name of Westmorland and Furness council along with the MP Tim Farron who lobbied in Westminster for the name.
Having said the original East Cumbria Council name was not representative of the new council area.
We have received a copy of a document showing the South Lakeland Council name choice by the leader and group.
It has also emerged that South Lakeland Council assumed the lead in the process for Eden Council in the change order and name selection process, with all political groups across all the councils invited to submit name choices for the new councils.
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