On Thursday 6 October members of the public will have the opportunity to join Westmorland and Furness Council Leader Councillor Jonathan Brook and Chief Executive Designate Sam Plum to hear more about the authority's first Council Plan.

They are inviting members of the public to have their say and ask questions about future operations of the council and its aspirations for the area.

The session will take place online via Microsoft Teams between 6pm and 7pm and can be joined on the below link.

Join the Microsoft Teams live event – W&F Council (6 October)

Councillor Brook says: “Westmorland and Furness is a new council which brings great opportunity.

“It is an opportunity to bring together the best of Barrow, Cumbria, Eden and South Lakeland to transform Westmorland and Furness for the better - from Walney to Alston and from the Duddon to the Tyne.

“It is an opportunity to transform how services are delivered, to build a new vision and work together to deliver it.

“It is an opportunity to do big things. Our communities have the vision, the people, the skills and the capacity to grasp the opportunity of local government re-organisation and build a bright future for Westmorland and Furness. This is the beginning of the journey”.

A copy of the draft Council Plan can be found on the Westmorland and Furness Council website:www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk

Westmorland and Furness Council will act in ‘shadow’ form for the next six months, as its councillors engage in the planning and preparation for Vesting Day on 1 April 2023, including agreeing the new Council Plan.

1 April 2023 is the point where Westmorland and Furness Council and its councillors will officially take over responsibility for all services across the Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland areas and the existing Barrow Borough, Eden District and South Lakeland District councils, along with Cumbria County Council, will be dissolved.

Until April 2023 all current services will continue to be delivered by the existing councils, overseen by the councillors on those councils.

In the meantime, councillors on the Shadow Authority for Westmorland and Furness Council will be working with the Local Government Reorganisation programme planning for the new council to ‘go live’ in 2023.

ENDS