The Conservative Leader of the County Council has asked all District Leaders and other parties to look at the potential savings we could achieve by moving to a Unitary Council status here in Cumbria.
This would mean the abolition of all 6 District Councils and the County Council and replace them with a Unitary Council covering all their present duties. This could be based on the whole County or proportions of the County.
To make it economically viable in my opinion we could not make it work on dividing up the County by more than 3.
The County’s senior Scrutiny Committee has decided to look at all options and report back to the Council with its recommendations later in the year.
If anyone would like to comment on this please do not hesitate to contact me as I will be a member of that Task Group looking at the unitary options.
As your local County Councillor I have managed to secure funding of seven and half thousand pounds to help improve access in the Town. This scheme which was agreed with the Grange Disability Group will now be drawn up and delivered in the next few months.
Good news for youngsters looking for a job here in the South of the County.
Cumbria County Council's South Lakes Local Committee have allocated £2,500 per Apprentice towards additional places for 16-18 year olds in small businesses in the area. Eligible businesses will need to bid in to the scheme, and there are a limited number of grants available. The county council are keen to hear from businesses where there are good quality, sustainable opportunities available for young people. The apprentices need to be aged 16, 17 or 18 at the beginning of their training and will start in September. The apprenticeship training will be managed by Kendal College and Gen II, with whom Cumbria County Council has a contract to deliver apprenticeships. The funding will be paid directly to the business by the County Council over a period of 12 months, on the basis that the apprentice has completed their training at level 2.
Regards,
Bill Waring