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People are being urged to look out for their postal vote pack for the upcoming elections, which have started to hit doormats this week.
Voters are due to go to the polls on 4 July for the General Election. There is also an election on 27 June for the Cumberland Council Harraby North ward in Carlisle.
All postal voters are advised to check the instructions which comes with the ballot paper to make sure they complete it correctly.
The rules for postal votes have also now changed. This means that anyone returning a postal vote by hand must complete a postal vote return form. A postal vote returned by hand not accompanied by a postal vote return form will be rejected.
Therefore, the easiest way to return a postal vote is to use the Royal Mail envelope provided with the postal vote pack. Just pop it in a post box in good time to ensure the vote is counted. Postage is pre-paid.
Electors who wish to hand their postal vote in at a polling station or one of the designated council offices must now complete a postal vote return form for the postal vote to be accepted.
At polling stations, Presiding Officers and Clerks will have the necessary form to be completed.
Council offices have signage in place to tell electors where they need to go to complete the form when they come to hand the vote in. Postal votes should not be put through the letter boxes or internal mail boxes at council buildings as these will have to be rejected.
There are also new limits on the number of postal votes that can be handed in by one person.
Postal voters in the Harraby North ward are advised that they will be getting two postal vote packs - one for the Harraby North ward election, and one for the General Election. These voters are also advised to check the details on the ballot paper to confirm which election they are voting in and to note that the date by which the postal votes must be returned will be different. The easiest way to return a postal vote is to use the pre-paid Royal Mail envelope provided. Separate envelopes should be used for each ballot paper.
Coming up in this week's newsletter...
You are now legally required to show photo identification (ID) when voting at a polling station at this election.
You may already have a form of photo ID that is acceptable. You can use any of the following:
- Passport
- Driving licence (including provisional license)
- Blue badge
- Certain concessionary travel cards
- Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
- Biometric Immigration document
- Defence identity card
- Certain national identity cards
You will only need to show one form of photo ID, but it needs to be the original version and not a photocopy. The name on your ID must be the same name you used to register to vote.
If you don’t already have an accepted form of photo ID, or you’re not sure whether your photo ID still looks like you, you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate.
The deadline for applications for a Voter Authority Certificate or an Anonymous Elector’s Document valid for the General Election is 5pm on Wednesday 26 June 2024.
If you are voting in person in the Harraby North election on June 27, then please don't forget to bring your photo ID.
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We're urging residents to dispose of batteries responsibly and refrain from placing them in regular household waste bins.
This follows last week’s incident involving a refuse vehicle which caught fire in Carlisle.
Batteries, commonly found in everyday items like toothbrushes, toys, phones, e-cigarettes, and laptops—including rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries—must be handled with care because of their potential to cause fires or explosions if damaged.
To ensure safety and environmental protection, the council advises residents to use designated battery recycling bins available at Household Waste Recycling Centres throughout Cumberland and most supermarkets across the council area.
If anyone wants to find their nearest battery collection point please go to the Recycle More website.
There is also some temporary disruption to collections at nine recycling bring sites in the former Copeland area.
This unplanned temporary disruption to this service is due to Go Plant Fleet Services, the company that previously managed the specialised vehicle required for handling large skips at these sites, entering administration.
The specialised vehicle provided by Go Plant Fleet Services has been removed, making it difficult to continue the service. The council is working to find a replacement and expects to resume service within a couple of weeks.
In the interim period, services from the Carlisle depot will help empty some of the skips. However, not all skips may be emptied.
The affected sites are:
- Cleator Moor Co-op
- Distington car park
- Gosforth car park
- Haverigg Foreshore
- Millom Tesco
- Seascale Foreshore
- St Bees Foreshore
- Whitehaven Morrisons
- Whitehaven Tesco
Residents are kindly reminded not to leave items on the ground if skips are full, as this can lead to littering and will be considered illegal dumping (fly-tipping).
Cumberland Council has suggested that residents use one of the local Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) or their regular kerbside collection services, if available.
Cumberland Council apologises for any inconvenience and appreciate residents’ cooperation as they work to restore the full service.
For further updates and information, please visit Cumberland Council’s website.
Our popular Holiday Activity and Food Programme for the Summer Holidays is back.
The programme provides fully funded activities and a healthy meal for eligible young people during the school holidays.
Sessions will take place across Cumberland from 20 July to 3 September and will be delivered by local providers offering a range of activities from sports and games to cooking and crafts, there’s lots to get involved with.
Martin Birch, Director of Children and Family Wellbeing, Cumberland Council, said:
“We are excited to announce the launch of our summer Holiday Activity and Food programme and would like to thank all of our community partners and organisations for providing a wide range of enriching activities for children to attend.”
Learn more about the scheme and eligibility criteria on Cumberland Council | HAF
Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has launched three business grant schemes, delivered on our behalf thanks to external funding.
Businesses in Cumberland can now access:
- Revenue grants of up to £7,500 (50% match funding)
- Capital grants up to a maximum of £100,000 (50% match funded)
- Tourism grants up to a maximum of £20,000 (50% match funded)
- £500 advice vouchers
Find out more at https://cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk/business-support/uk-shared-prosperity-fund/cumberland-uk-spf/business-grants
Preparatory investigation works will get underway on Monday 24 June in Central Car Park in Workington on the area connected to the proposed Workington Innovation Centre.
The exciting development forms part of the Workington Town Deal. It will provide flexible town centre office space for start-up and growing businesses in West Cumbria - high quality co-working space for local workers.
The preparatory works will take place for one day in part of the car park. The affected area will be cordoned off and it will only impact on the annexe part of the car park.
Although the remaining part of the car park will be open, parking is also available at Brow Top or within the Multi Storey car park.
Motorists with a long stay Workington permit can use Brow Top.
A survivor of the Bosnian War will be sharing his experiences at a special Cumberland Council organised event to mark Srebrenica Memorial Day 2024.
The public event, held at the Civic Centre, Carlisle, will be held on Monday 8 July, starting at 11am.
It will be an opportunity to learn more about the Bosnian War and the genocide at Srebrenica and remember this significant episode in modern history. It will include guest speaker Jasmin Dajic - a survivor of the Bosnian War.
School children and key partners will be invited to attend the event on Monday 8 July, however the event is open to all to attend.
It will be held between 11am (10.45am arrival) and 12.30pm.
If you are interested in attending the event, please email events@cumberland.gov.uk
The theme for this year’s Srebrenica Memorial Day 2024 event is ‘I Am Because You Are’. It will underline the importance of standing up against those who try to divide us and standing up for each other against hatred, discrimination, harassment or prejudice. It will also help empower everyone in our communities to understand the importance of interconnectedness to help build a safer, stronger, and more cohesive society for all.
This is an exciting time to be part of the brand-new Cumbria Economic Growth Board.
The newly formed Economic Growth Board will provide a strong business voice in strategy development and ensure that decisions are taken in the best interests for people and places in Cumbria.
This is part of the new arrangements which resulted in Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Councils assuming the functions and responsibilities of the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP) on 1st April 2024.
This is a fantastic opportunity to be a critical part of the Cumbria Economic Growth Board. We are looking for applications from ambitious business leaders, from businesses and voluntary organisations of all sizes to make a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver strategic economic growth.
We are keen that the Cumbria Economic Growth Board is representative of our communities and businesses, and we therefore welcome applications from all business sectors across Cumbria, as well as a diverse range of applications regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.
Please note that this is a voluntary position and therefore unpaid, however expenses will be paid for travel to meetings and commitments set out in the role. Board appointments are for a three-year term, with the option for re-appointment for a further three-year period. The roles are likely to require a time commitment of 1-1.5 days per month.
An event to commemorate Armed Forces Day, a national celebration of the UK's Armed Forces - past, present and future - will be held in Carlisle’s city centre pedestrianised area on Saturday, 29 June.
Organised by Cumberland Council, with the support of local armed forces organisations, it will be held between 10am and 4pm in Carlisle city centre.
Organisations represented will include: the Cumbria Museum of Military Life, the Military Vehicles Trust, Cumbria Army Cadet Force, The Solway Aviation Museum, The Carlisle United Community Trust, the Carlisle Sea Cadets, the Air Cadets, Carlisle Branch of the Regimental Association, RAF Spadeadam, the Royal British Legion and Cumbria Police.
The Armed Forces Day programme will also include live music provided by the Border Concert Band.
The Chair of Cumberland Council, Councillor Andy Semple will also speak about the council’s commitment to the Armed Forces.
An Armed Forces flag will be flown from the Old Town Hall from 12noon on Monday 24 June.
Armed Forces Week will conclude with the flag-lowering ceremony on Saturday 29 June at 3.30pm.
Check local parish council and town council listings online and on social media for updates on events in your area.
For further information about Armed Forces Day visit www.armedforcesday.org.uk
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Nattering by Morecambe based artist Jamie Jenkinson has been installed at Millom Library.
Jamie developed this work during his artist/researcher residency with the University of Cumbria, funded by Arts Council England and Cumberland Council, where he looked at cultural landscapes alongside human-nature relationships.
The artwork is an expanded audio archive and was recorded over 30 days while bikepacking in the local area. Listen through headsets to the re-recorded cassette tapes whilst taking in the accompanying ceramics which have been fired with local pigment and adorned with local flower pressings.
Nattering is the third in a series of artworks to be revealed which offer additional points of interest along the Cumbrian Coast.
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