Cumbria unitary move sparks asset sale concern

Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council will take over from Cumbria County Council and six district ones in 2023

There are concerns two new authorities in Cumbria will pick up the bill on ageing council assets when the county's system of governments is overhauled.

The existing county council and six district councils are set to be abolished and replaced by two new unitary authorities by 2023.

Along with roles and responsibilities, these will take on assets such as town halls and play parks.

And there are fears some historic buildings could end up being sold off.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said concerns were expressed at a briefing for town and parish councils in the south of the county.

Jonathan Davies, a Penrith town councillor, pointed to the town's tourist information station, which was currently situated in the museum.

'A lot less'

He said: "I envisage with the new unitaries there's going to be a lot of what the community sees as vital assets being sold off.

"Covid has shown we don't need to all be in the same place to operate a business.

"We're going to have a need for a lot less."

He added some public assets were in need of improvement and retro-fitting to make them environmentally friendly.

However, Allerdale Borough Council leader Mike Johnson said the new councils were not taking on anything which was not already there.

"If there's an asset that's a liability today it'll still be one, it just transfers to the new authority", he said.

"The new authority can then rationalise their assets, if they need to."