About the Council
Our Stats
Further Reading
About the Cumberland Council
Last year the Government made the decision to create two brand new councils for Cumbria – Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council. Cumberland Council will comprise of the area covered by Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland districts
Key to this decision was the business case that committed us to:
- Put our customers and communities first, to be at the very heart of everything we do.
- Delivering better outcomes for our customers and communities, enhancing their life opportunities.
- Deliver excellent services and undertake transformation and change that will ensure services are better and more cost-effective in the future.
- Create organisations that are flexible and agile and enable us to respond to change and be more adaptable to our customer needs in the future.
- Create opportunities for our staff.
- Work in partnership to deliver better outcomes for all.
- Create more financially balanced and sustainable Council.
About Cumberland
Cumberland inspires pride of place, but it is also an area of stark contrast. We are home to some of the world’s most stunning rural and coastal landscapes, but we also have areas in our city and towns in need of renewal.
Our economy contains strong agricultural and tourism sectors, but we are also a manufacturing economy that boasts some of the most famous brands in the world. We are an economy of small businesses, but we also host the largest nuclear site in Europe. Household earnings in some areas are amongst the highest in the northwest, but we have pockets of real deprivation and have more households living in fuel poverty than the national average.
We are one of the best places to visit, boasting two world heritage sites, an area of outstanding natural beauty and world class attractions that draw in millions of visitors. We are one of the safest places to live, but our increasingly diverse population is aging and declining.
We have some of the lowest cost housing in the country, but we have issues with affordability and the availability of houses built for social rent.
Some of our residents can expect to live some of the longest lives in the country, but other parts of Cumberland are below the national average for life expectancy. Inequalities can be extreme, and they have real day to day impacts on people’s lives and livelihoods.
We are already seeing the impact of the climate emergency, responding to and recovering from the devastating effects on our communities from severe weather and unprecedented flooding.
