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Call for views from children living near Maryport
If you are young and living near Maryport, we really want to hear what you have to say. What sort of activities and events would you like us to fund?
Those aged 10 - 16 are invited to an event with fun activities, free snacks and - most importantly - the chance to give their opinion.
The Lakes to Sea Community Panel is hosting the event at:
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Crosscanonby Community Centre from 10am until noon on Saturday, 8 March
This event will particularly focus on what services are needed in the villages of Birkby, Crosby, Crosscanonby and Gilcrux.
Cumberland Council's eight Community Panels fund vital community projects, responding to the particular need in their areas.
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Carlisle Library reopens, ahead of construction work
Carlisle Library reopens its doors on Monday 3 March, welcoming visitors back while construction work continues.
During this phase, the first floor will be open to the public, featuring a fantastic fiction section, while the second floor remains closed for refurbishment. The council reminds visitors that construction will continue for the next 10–12 months, and some noise and disruption should be expected.
This transformative project, funded from the UK Government’s Carlisle Town Deal with additional investment from Cumberland Council, aims to revitalise Carlisle Library state-of-the-art learning and community hub. Designed to meet the needs of modern users, the upgraded library will offer cutting-edge facilities and services.
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Also in this week's edition:
Alongside Wardell Armstrong LLP (part of SLR), we are proud to announce the release of Life and Death in Roman Carlisle: Excavations at 107-117 Botchergate, 2015, a groundbreaking publication that brings to life the fascinating Roman-era heritage of Carlisle.
The book is about the excavations which took place during the construction of Cumbria House on Botchergate beginning in 2015. This exciting council-supported archaeological project uncovers the stories of those who lived, worked, and were laid to rest in the city nearly 2,000 years ago.
The book is available online through Archaeopress as an open-access e-book, and offers readers a glimpse into the lives of the soldiers and settlers who once called Luguvalium (Carlisle) home.
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Our Leader, Councillor Mark Fryer, welcomed Minister for Local Government & English Devolution Jim McMahon to Cumberland on Thursday to discuss devolution, which could see powers and funding transferred from London to Cumbria.
The Government has launched a public consultation in areas chosen for the Devolution Priority Programme (DPP).
The consultation will seek views on a proposal to form a Mayoral Combined Authority for the local government areas of Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness.
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Unemployed residents in the Cumberland area have been given a helping hand to access potential jobs.
Cumberland Council’s Skills and Enterprise Partnership recently delivered a three-day programme providing participants with a broad range of information about careers at the council as well as an opportunity to meet staff already employed. They were also supported with making job applications for current vacancies.
Delivered by partnership member, Inspira, participants gained an insight into qualities and skills important for a career in the public sector. The key ones being problem solving, adaptability, cross cultural awareness, emotional intelligence, diplomacy and reality testing.
Participants were made aware of some benefits of working for Cumberland Council such as the staff pension scheme, flexible working hours and the learning and development opportunities available.
The Skills and Enterprise Partnership is made up of local skills and employment support, including Cumberland Council and the DWP. The programme is funded by Copeland Community Fund and Sellafield Ltd.
A ‘Community Hub’ designed to improve access to a range of local services in one place has opened in Workington on a pilot basis.
We have led the initiative, and it is located in Workington Library with the idea being to support residents to access support as early as possible across a number of areas. We have brought some of our services and those run by partners such as local charities together under one roof in a convenient location.
At varying times, residents will be able to apply for blue badges, school clothing grants, and free school meals, enquire about waste permits, report problems on the roads, speak to someone about health and wellbeing support, and more. They will also be able to speak to partners such as Macmillan Cancer Support, Cumbria Voluntary Service (CVS), Age UK North Cumbria, and many others as part of a regular schedule of drop-in sessions.
Residents can still access all the services they currently enjoy at Workington Library, such as book browsing and borrowing, access to computers, free Wi-Fi, and Café West.
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New surveys asking for people’s views on car parks in three west Cumbrian towns have been launched.
Residents, businesses, organisations and visitors are being encouraged to take part in the surveys which aim to understand people’s use of and opinions on car parks in Cockermouth, Workington and Whitehaven.
These three new surveys, which were launched on Friday, 21 February and will run until Friday 14 March, following on from ones conducted recently in Carlisle and Keswick.
We are hoping to gather opinions about parking options in these locations, users’ reasons for using the car parks, value for money, how sites could be improved and more.
To take part in the surveys, go to:
Earlier this week, enforcement officers caught a man letting his dog foul near Bransty School, Whitehaven—without cleaning it up! He was stopped, details taken, and hit with a £100 on-the-spot fine for failing to pick up after his pet.
We also successfully fined a fly-tipping offender £500 after he was caught throwing bags of waste into a beck that runs from Lowca to Parton and out to sea. Thanks to a report from a concerned resident, our team was able to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). As the offender paid the fine early, the case did not go to court.
Go to our website to report incidents like this to us.
Result of Workington Town Council Harrington ward by-election held on 27 February 2025.
McGuckin (Labour Party) 146 votes; Miskelly (The Conservative Party Candidate) 273 votes (Elected). There were two rejected ballot papers. Turnout was 16.91%.
More details at: https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/.../local-election-results-0
Cumbria Fostering & Adoption is proud to support LGBTQ+ Adoption & Fostering Week, which launches next week (Monday 3 March), by hosting two online information events to raise awareness and encourage more individuals and families to explore both routes to building a family.
Fostering and adoption offer children who have experienced trauma, neglect, or instability the chance to find loving, stable homes where they can thrive. The online events are designed to provide prospective carers with vital information about the fostering and adoption process, the requirements involved, and the incredible difference they can make in a child's life.
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Thursday 6 March – Join our online fostering information event from 6pm to 7pm and listen to a short presentation about fostering and hear from our local foster carers. To book a place please email claire.crisp@cumberland.gov.uk
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Saturday 15 March – Join our online adoption information event from 10am and our adoption experts will give an overview of the adoption process, the timescales involved and answer any questions guests may have. To register visit our event booking page.
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Detailed design work has commenced on the Workington Gateway project.
Story Contracting started site investigation on the A596 Bridge Street, Ramsay Brow and Hall Brow this week.
The work will be carried out during daytime off peak hours and in the evening is expected to last for two weeks. Most work will be carried out within lane closures with limited impact on traffic. When the work requires temporary traffic lights, the traffic lights at the bottom of Ramsay Brow will be switched off while the temporary signals are in place.
These site investigations are in preparation for the £10 million Workington Gateway transformation which begins in earnest this Summer. It will enhance connectivity with employment sites in the north of the town by widening the key A66/A596 junction, as well as the A596 at Hall Brow between the police headquarters and Workington Bridge.
The Gateway is part of a host of regeneration projects in Workington which are being managed by Cumberland Council and supported by £33 million of Government funding.
Resurfacing work started this week on the A595 at Holmrook and will last for approximately six weeks, weather permitting.
The work will take place in two phases:
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Phase 1: from Monday 24 February until Monday 31 March, the footway reconstruction and the drainage repairs will be carried out under temporary traffic lights during the daytime hours from 7.30am to 6pm for a period of five weeks.
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Phase 2: From Monday 31 March and continuing until Saturday 5 April, carriageway resurfacing will follow. This phase will require a nighttime road closure from 7pm to 5am.
A consultation has been launched to review the existing taxi zones across Cumberland.
Since the formation of Cumberland Council, the former taxi licensing zones of Allerdale Borough Council, Carlisle City Council and Copeland Borough Council have been retained.
Each zone continues to licence its own taxis and drivers and operates under the byelaws currently in existence for each former area, resulting in varying rules, tariffs and restricted working areas.
The current system requires drivers and vehicles operating across the whole of Cumberland to obtain two separate licences in each of the three zones.
If a single taxi licensing zone was created, only two licences would be required for the whole of Cumberland – one hackney carriage vehicle licence and a hackney carriage driver’s licence.
A single zone would also enable drivers to have access to all ranks across Cumberland and would provide them with the freedom to work wherever preferred.
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Join Team Cumberland
Find out more about working at Cumberland Council and if there is a job for you on our dedicated careers website.
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