Westmorland and Furness Council
Westmorland and Furness Council is the local authority for Westmorland and Furness in the north-west of England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. Westmorland and Furness Council was first elected in May 2022, operating as a shadow authority until it replaced Cumbria County Council, Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council, Eden District Council and South Lakeland District Council on 1 April 2023.
Westmorland and Furness Council | |
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Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 1 April 2023 |
Preceded by | Cumbria County Council |
Leadership | |
Chairman | |
Structure | |
Seats | 65 councillors |
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Political groups |
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Length of term | 4 years (from 2023) |
Elections | |
First past the post | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 2027 |
Meeting place | |
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County Hall, Busher Walk, Kendal, LA9 4RQ[3][4] | |
Website | |
www |
Politics
Westmorland and Furness has 65 councillors,[5] It was first elected in May 2022 and operated as a shadow authority until taking up its powers on 1 April 2023.[6]
Composition
At the 2022 council election, the Liberal Democrats secured a majority on the council with 36 out of 65 councillors. Labour have 15 councillors, the Conservatives have 11 councillors, the Green Party have 1 councillor and 2 councillors were elected as independents.[7][8]
Affiliation | Members | |
Liberal Democrats | 36 | |
Labour Party | 15 | |
Conservative Party | 11 | |
Independent | 2 | |
Green Party of England and Wales | 1 |
Leadership
Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The first leader is Jonathan Brook, a Liberal Democrat, who was also the last leader of South Lakeland District Council.[9][10]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
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Jonathan Brook | Liberal Democrats | 1 Apr 2023 |
Composition of predecessor bodies
The combined composition of the three merging district councils going into that election was as follows:[11]
Affiliation | Members | |
Liberal Democrat | 44 | |
Conservative Party | 35 | |
Labour Party | 28 | |
Independent / Other | 14 | |
Green Party of England and Wales | 3 | |
Vacant | 1 |
References
- "Leader selected for new Westmorland and Furness Council". The Westmorland Gazette.
- "Liberal Democrats elect new group leader for Westmorland and Furness Council - Cumberland and Westmorland Herald". 8 May 2022.
- "Agenda for Shadow Authority for Westmorland and Furness Council on Tuesday, 17th May, 2022, 2.30 pm". westmorlandandfurness.moderngov.co.uk. 17 May 2022.
- "New Cumbria councils to hold inaugural meetings - cumbriacrack.com".
- "Elections - May 2022". New Councils for Cumbria.
- "The Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022".
- "Westmorland and Furness". www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk.
- "Westmorland & Furness result - Local Elections 2022". BBC News.
- "Liberal Democrats elect new group leader for Westmorland and Furness Council - Cumberland and Westmorland Herald". 8 May 2022.
- "Council minutes". Westmorland and Furness Council. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- "English Councils 2021". Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.