Full list of candidates revealed for the two new councils
Details of who is standing both for the new "Cumberland" Unitary authority which takes over in just under a year from Allerdale BC, Carlisle City Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council services in those areas, and for the new "Westmorland and Furness" unitary authority which will replace Barrow in Furness, Eden District, and South Lakeland council and county council services in those areas, have not been published on the websites of the relevant councils.
Details of the candidates putting themselves forward for election in each ward can be found in the "Statement of persons nominated" documents: In Cumberland these can be found on the websites of the existing district councils or at the elections page for the new authority at:
Election documents | Shadow Authority for Cumberland Council
Similarly the candidates nominated for the new Westmorland & Furness council can be found at
There is a reasonable mix of candidates standing who have experience of servicing as county councillors (and therefore hopefully understanding of services currently provided by the county council) those who have experience as district councillors (and therefore hopefully understanding of District services) and new candidates who hopefully can provide fresh ideas.
I hope that there will be some of each of these groups elected to the new authorities.
In party terms the only political party which is standing a full set of candidates for both councils is the Conservatives. The Labour party are contesting most, though not all, wards in Cumberland but are not standing anyone at all in large swathes of South Lakeland and Eden.
Similarly the Lib/Dems are standing a full slate in Westmorland & Furness but very few candidates in Copeland, Allerdale, or Carlisle.
There are quite a lot of independent candidates standing, a few green candidates and a few with labels like "Reform UK" or "Heritage party - free speech and liberty."
But one thing all these candidate have in common is that they have stuck their heads above the parapet and offered to take on a difficult and responsible job for their community. So I hope the coming election campaign can be fought with respect.
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