Cumberland | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cumbria House, Carlisle, the headquarters ofCumberland Council | |
 Cumberland shown withinCumbria | |
| Coordinates:54°53′41″N02°56′11″W / 54.89472°N 2.93639°W /54.89472; -2.93639 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | North West |
| Ceremonial county | Cumbria |
| Historic county | Cumberland (part) |
| Incorporated | 1 April 2023 |
| Named after | Cumberland |
| Administrative HQ | Carlisle |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | Cumberland Council |
| • Executive | Leader and cabinet |
| • Control | Labour |
| • Leader | Mark Fryer (L) |
| • Chairman | Carni McCarron-Holmes |
| • MPs | 4 MPs |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,163 sq mi (3,012 km2) |
| • Rank | 8th |
| Population (2024)[3] | |
• Total | 280,495 |
| • Rank | 62nd |
| • Density | 240/sq mi (93/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Postcode areas | |
| GSS code | E06000063 |
| Website | cumberland |
Cumberland is aunitary authority area in theceremonial county ofCumbria, England. It covers the north-western part of Cumbria, including the west of theLake District. The city ofCarlisle is the largest settlement and the administrative centre. The unitary authority area covers the majority of the area of thehistoric county of Cumberland, from which it takes its name, but does not include the area aroundPenrith.
The unitary authority area was formed on 1 April 2023 during alocal government restructuring which abolished thenon-metropolitan county of Cumbria and its sixdistricts. Cumberland has the same area as the former districts ofCarlisle,Allerdale, andCopeland, being constituted as a non-metropolitan county and coterminousnon-metropolitan district with the same area as the former districts. The three remaining districts of Cumbria were merged intoWestmorland and Furness. It remains part of Cumbria for ceremonial purposes. Prior to thelocal government reforms of 1974, which created Cumbria, Carlisle was acounty borough and the remainder of the area was within theadministrative county ofCumberland.
The local authority for the area isCumberland Council, which provides the services of both a county council and a district council. Thefirst elections to the new authority took place in May 2022, with Cumberland Council acting as a "shadow authority" until the abolition of Cumbria County Council and the three district councils on 1 April 2023.
Elections toCumbria County Council were due to take place in May 2021 but were postponed by theSecretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government for one year due to a consultation on local government reorganisation in the area.[4] In July 2021, the government announced that the current authorities in Cumbria would be abolished and replaced with two unitary authorities in the form of an 'east/west split' of the county.[5]
Opponents of the reorganisation claimed that the proposal was pursued to benefit the electoral prospects of theConservative Party. Cumbria County Council, which would be abolished under the plans, soughtjudicial review to prevent the reorganisation from taking place.[6] The judicial review was refused by the High Court in January 2022.[7] Draft statutory instruments to bring about local government reorganisation in Cumbria were subsequently laid before parliament.[8] The Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022 (2022 No. 331)[9] was made on 17 March 2022 and came into force the following day.[9]
Cumberland was established by The Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022. It is both anon-metropolitan county and anon-metropolitan district.[10][8]
The firstelections toCumberland Council took place in May 2022, with the council acting as a 'shadow authority' until the abolition of the three former district councils andCumbria County Council on 1 April 2023.[11]Labour won a majority with 30 seats.[12] The Conservatives have 7 seats, Liberal Democrats 4 seats, independents 3 seats and the Green Party 2 seats. Turnout was 36.1%.[13]
Cumberland and the neighbouringWestmorland and Furness continue to form theceremonial county of Cumbria for the purposes oflieutenancy andshrievalties, being presided over by aLord Lieutenant of Cumbria and aHigh Sheriff of Cumbria.[14][15][16]
Police services are provided byCumbria Constabulary and fire services byCumbria Fire and Rescue Service. These are both overseen by theCumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.[17]
High Sheriffs pay attention to the work of such statutory bodies as the Police, the Prison Service and the Probation Service.[18]
| Settlement | Twinned settlement |
|---|---|
| Carlisle | |
| Cockermouth | Marvejols, France |
| Whitehaven | Kozloduy, Bulgaria[19] |
| Workington |
|
Major settlements;
| District | In relation to the district |
|---|---|
| Dumfries and Galloway | North |
| Scottish Borders | North east |
| Northumberland | East |
| Westmorland and Furness | South |
Local television services for the area is provided byBBC Look North andITV News Lookaround.
Radio stations for the area areBBC Radio Cumbria,Greatest Hits Radio Cumbria & South West Scotland, andHeart North West.
The local newspapers are:[27]The Cumberland News,News and Star, andNorth West Evening Mail.[28]
Places adjacent to Cumberland (unitary authority) | |
|---|---|
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