Cumbria County Council ends bid for judicial review into local government reform

Cumbria County Council's attempt to halt local government reform in the area is over.

The government revealed its plans to reorganise how Cumbria is governed in 2021, which involve abolishing the existing county council and six district authorities.

Cumbria's existing councils will be replaced by two new unitary authorities by 2023. Cumberland Council will cover Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland. Westmorland and Furness Council will cover Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow-in-Furness.

The Labour leadership of Cumbria County Council believe that the reorganisation is a ploy from the Government to consolidate its power in the North West.

A Judicial Review, or legal challenge, was launched by the county council last year, calling the decision "unlawful" and expressing concerns about the level of public consultation involved in the move.

Earlier this week it failed in court for a second time and the authority has now announced it will not pursue any appeal.

A spokesman said: "After careful consideration Cumbria County Council has decided not to pursue an appeal."This follows a decision by the High Court on Tuesday 22 Feb to refuse Cumbria County Council’s application for permission to proceed with its JR. "This now concludes the Judicial Review Application process. Cumbria County Council ends judicial review into local government reform."