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.