Devolution to Cumbria

The first mayor of Cumbria will be elected in May 2027, leading a new combined authority for the region. The mayor and combined authority will hold powers over skills, transport, planning, housing, health, public safety and economic development¹ Cumberland Council, ‘Devolution’, Cumberland Council, (no date), retrieved 6 October 2026, www.cumberland.gov.uk/your-council/devolution   across the two local areas of Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness.  

Who are the candidates for mayor of Cumbria? 

David Allen, Cumbria’s current Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, is Labour’s candidate for the election.² Labour Lakes and Dales, ‘Dave Allen selected as Labour's candidate for Cumbria Mayor’, Labour Lakes and Dales, 27 February 2026, retrieved 12 October 2026, www.labourlakesanddales.org.uk/campaigns/2027-mayoral-election/2026/02/27/dave-allen-selected-as-labours-candidate-for-cumbria-mayor 

Mike Starkie, previously the independent mayor of Copeland from 2015 to 2020 and Conservative mayor from 2020 to 2023, is the Conservative candidate.³ Kieran Molloy, ‘Former mayor of Copeland running in mayoral elections 2027’, The Westmorland Gazette, 23 August 2025, retrieved 12 October 2026, www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/25520126.former-mayor-copeland-running-mayoral-elections-2027 

Libby Bateman, a former Cumbria county councillor, is the Liberal Democrat candidate.⁴ Libby for Cumbria, ‘About me’, Libby for Cumbria, (no date), retrieved 12 October 2026, www.libbyforcumbria.uk/meet-libby 

Mark Borthwick, an environment policy researcher, is the Green candidate.⁵ Penrith Town Council, ‘Green Party Announce Candidate for Cumbria Mayor Elections in May 2027’, Penrith Town Council, 18 September 2026, retrieved 19 October 2026, www.penrith.town/news/green-party-announce-candidate-for-cumbria-mayor-elections-in-may-2027 

Reform UK has not yet announced their candidate. 

What is the history of devolution to Cumbria? 

A coalition of Cumbrian local authority leaders previously called for a devolution deal in 2015. Local authority leaders, including the then leader of Cumbria County Council and all of the county’s major council leaders, collectively called for a devolution deal through the Cumbria Deal proposal.⁶ hitehaven News, ‘Cumbria Deal: An ambitious bid to win “devolution” for county’, Whitehaven News, 10 October 2018, retrieved 15 October 2026, www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/17119836.cumbria-deal-an-ambitious-bid-to-win-devolution-for-county 

This proposal argued that Cumbria’s assets such as nuclear expertise could benefit from a devolution deal.⁷ Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Deal: Devolution Proposal, Cumbria County Council, September 2015, www.elibrary.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary/Content/Internet/538/755/1929/17716/17717/42251145142.PDF  However, the devolution deal collapsed in 2016 when councils failed to agree on a governance model.⁸ Local Government Chronicle, ‘Deadlock on devo deal for Cumbria’, Local Government Chronicle, 27 May 2016, retrieved 13 October 2026, www.lgcplus.com/politics/devolution-and-economic-growth/deadlock-on-devo-deal-for-cumbria-27-05-2016   Further talks also failed in 2021 when Cumbria’s local authorities failed to reach a consensus on a devolution deal that involved creating two new unitary authorities with an elected mayor for the region.⁹ Connell, John, ‘Minister’s ambition for Cumbria devolution by May 2021’, In Cumbria, 3 February 2020, retrieved 14 October 2026, www.in-cumbria.com/news/18207887.ministers-ambition-cumbria-devolution-may-2021/ 

Following the failed devolution deal, the Government implemented local government reorganisation in Cumbria. Through the Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022, Cumbria County Council and the six district councils were replaced by two unitary authorities on 1 April 2023. These were Cumberland Council and Westmoreland and Furness Council. 

In 2025,¹⁰ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Cumbria devolution consultation’, GOV.UK, updated 17 July 2025, retrieved 12 October 2026, www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cumbria-devolution/cumbria-devolution-consultation   Cumbria joined the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme (DPP) which put six areas on a fast track to mayoral devolution.¹¹ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, English Devolution White Paper, 16 December 2024.  Following public consultation between February and April, the government announced in July 2025 that the necessary statutory tests had been met and that mayoral devolution could proceed in the area.¹² Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Cumbria devolution consultation response’, GOV.UK, 17 July 2025, retrieved 15 October 2026, www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cumbria-devolution/outcome/cumbria-devolution-consultation-response  

In October 2025, both councils gave their formal consent to the establishment of a mayoral combined authority (also now known as a mayoral strategic authority) for Cumbria¹³ Cumbria Combined Authority, ‘Councils say yes to new Mayor-led authority’, Cumbria Combined Authority, 5 February 2025, retrieved 13 October 2026, www.cumbria-ca.gov.uk/newsroom/2025/councils-say-yes-new-mayor-led-authority   and a statutory instrument creating Cumbria Combined Authority (CCA) was laid before parliament in December 2026,¹⁴ UK Parliament, ‘SI 2026 - Cumbria Combined Authority Order 2026’, Statutory Instruments, 2026, retrieved 13 October 2026, www.statutoryinstruments.parliament.uk/instrument/qfWl1lVI    coming into force on 24 February 2026.¹⁵ Cumbria Combined Authority, ‘Cumbria Combined Authority is officially created’, Cumbria Combined Authority, 24 February 2026, retrieved 13 October 2026, www.cumbria-ca.gov.uk/newsroom/2026/cumbria-combined-authority-officially-created 

The DPP areas were originally due to elect mayors in May 2026. In Cumbria (as in Cheshire and Warrington), the mayoral election was postponed to May 2027 following requests by local leaders to align the mayoral elections with local elections.¹⁶ McMahon J, ‘Devolution Priority Programme’, Written Ministerial Statement, 17 July 2025, retrieved 6 October 2026, www.questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-07-17/hcws848 

What is Cumbria Combined Authority? 

Cumbria Combined Authority (CCA) is a legal body bringing together Cumbria’s two unitary authorities: Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council. Each council is a constituent of CCA and each appoints two councillors to be Constituent Council Members on the board.¹⁷ Cumbria Combined Authority, Cumbria Combined Authority Constitution, Cumbria Combined Authority, March 2026, www.cumbria-ca.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-03/Cumbria%20Combined%20Authority%20Constitution.pdf    

The board sets the long-term vision and strategic direction of the combined authority, such as the allocation of funding. The Cumbria Combined Authority board will be chaired by the mayor once elected.¹ Cumbria Combined Authority, ‘Cumbria Combined Authority Board’, Cumbria Combined Authority, (no date), retrieved 13 October 2026, www.cumbria-ca.gov.uk/committees/cumbria-combined-authority-board   In May 2026, the board agreed that Labour councillor and leader or Cumberland Council Mark Fryer would serve as chair until the election of the mayor in May 2027. When in position, the mayor will appoint one of the constituent council members to be their deputy.² Cumbria Combined Authority, Cumbria Combined Authority Constitution, Cumbria Combined Authority, March 2026, www.cumbria-ca.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-03/Cumbria%20Combined%20Authority%20Constitution.pdf  

Cumbria is a part of the Borderlands partnership, a coalition of five councils across the South of Scotland and the North of England, which exists to encourage sustainable and inclusive economic growth and to attract investment into the region.³ Borderlands Partnership, ‘The Partnership’, Borderlands Partnership, (no date), retrieved 14 October 2026, www.borderlandsgrowth.com/the-partnership   The leaders of both of Cumbria’s councils sit on the Borderlands partnership board.

What powers will the mayor and combined authority hold? 

The mayor and combined authority will hold devolved powers over economic development, skills and employment, transport, and housing and planning.

CCA will receive an investment fund of £11.1m per year for 30 years, after the Mayor has been elected.⁴ Cumberland Council, ‘Devolution’, Cumberland Council, (no date), retrieved 6 October 2026, www.cumberland.gov.uk/your-council/devolution    An allocation of £5.5m has been confirmed for the year 2026/27 ahead of the mayoral election.⁵ Westmorland and Furness Council, ‘Welcome for confirmation of funding for Cumbria Combined Authority’, Westmorland and Furness Council, 20 February 2025, retrieved 12 October 2026, www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/news/2025/welcome-confirmation-funding-cumbria-combined-authority-0 

CCA took responsibility for local transport planning and become the Local Transport Authority in March 2026.⁶  Cumbria Combined Authority, Cumbria Combined Authority Board Draft Minutes: 1 September 2026, Cumbria Combined Authority, September 2026, p. 5, www.cumbria-ca.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-09/Cumbria%20Combined%20Authority%20Board%20draft%20minutes%20-%201%20September%202026_0.pdf   One important function being afforded to the CCA is the responsibility to develop a Local Transport Plan (LTP) that will identify the regions strategic transport and connectivity priorities.⁷ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Explanatory Memorandum to the Cumbria Combined Authority Order 2026, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2026, www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/158/pdfs/uksiem_20260158_en_001.pdf  , ⁸  UK Government, ‘Explanatory Memorandum to The Cumbria Combined Authority Order 2026’, 2026, available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/158/pdfs/uksiem_20260158_en_001.pdf   Until 31 March 2027, transport functions will be held concurrently between the CCA and the constituent councils as part of a transitional agreement, before fully transferring to the CCA.⁹ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Explanatory Memorandum to the Cumbria Combined Authority Order 2026, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2026, www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/158/pdfs/uksiem_20260158_en_001.pdf   , ¹⁰  UK Government, ‘Explanatory Memorandum to The Cumbria Combined Authority Order 2026’, 2026, available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/158/pdfs/uksiem_20260158_en_001.pdf  Cumbria has been allocated a total of £2.68m for the next three years to develop its LTP and deliver local transport infrastructure priorities.¹¹ Department for Transport, ‘Resource allocations: 2026 to 2027 and 2028 to 2029’, GOV.UK, 16 July 2026, retrieved 14 October 2026, www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-grant-allocations/resource-allocations-2026-to-2027-and-2028-to-2029  

CCA will receive an allocation of devolved funding from the Adult Skills Funding (ASF), which is used to support adults gain basic qualifications such as level 2 and 3 qualifications to enhance the skills base of the local work force.¹² Cumbria Combined Authority, ‘Skills and employment’, Cumbria Combined Authority, (no date), retrieved 19 October 2026, www.cumbria-ca.gov.uk/our-focus-areas/skills-and-employment  , ¹³  Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Local Skills Improvement Plan 2026–2029, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, July 2026, www.cumbriachamber.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Cumbria-LSIP-2026-2029-FINAL-POST-SUBMISSION.pdf  The CCA will take an oversight role in Cumbria’s Local Skills Improvement Plan for 2026 to 2029– which translates wider strategies that have identified priority sectors and growth drivers, into a skills delivery framework.¹⁴ Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Local Skills Improvement Plan 2026–2029, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, July 2026, www.cumbriachamber.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Cumbria-LSIP-2026-2029-FINAL-POST-SUBMISSION.pdf  The plan includes aligning ASF to identified priority sectors, such as construction and health and social care, to increase skills supply in these key areas.¹⁵ Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Local Skills Improvement Plan 2026–2029, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, July 2026, www.cumbriachamber.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Cumbria-LSIP-2026-2029-FINAL-POST-SUBMISSION.pdf

CCA also has a statutory responsibility to develop a Local Growth Plan, a 10-year framework for growth designed to set out priorities the authority will focus its devolved powers on to guide investment and contribute to the national mission of increased growth.¹⁶ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, ‘Guidance for Mayoral Strategic Authorities on developing Local Growth Plans’, GOV.UK, 6 May 2026, retrieved 19 October 2026, www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-growth-plans-england/guidance-for-mayoral-strategic-authorities-on-developing-local-growth-plans   Further, CCA will gain powers under the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 to prepare a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) to provide a 20+ years planning framework for housing, infrastructure and economic growth that local plans will need to conform to.¹⁷ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Explanatory Memorandum to the Cumbria Combined Authority Order 2026, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2026, www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/158/pdfs/uksiem_20260158_en_001.pdf 

The functions of Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) will transfer to the mayor and MSA from after the 2027 election.¹⁸ Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, PF009-26: Cumbria PFCC Functions to be Exercised As Is up to Transfer to Mayor, Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, 2026, www.cumbriacms.formationcraft.co.uk/uploads/PF009-26-Cumbria-PFCC-Functions-to-be-Exercised-As-Is-up-to-Transfer-to-Mayor-for-website.pdf   Powers include budgetary, policy, and regulatory duties, accountability oversight, and strategic planning and coordination with community and elected officials. 

The mayor and combined authority’s powers are likely to increase over time. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 introduces new powers for mayors, including the power to charge a levy on developers to fund infrastructure delivery in the area, the power to intervene in local planning authority decisions on applications of potential strategic importance, and the power to make mayoral development orders that grant upfront planning permission to strategic developments.¹⁹ UK Government, English Devolution And Community Empowerment Act 2026, 29 April 2026, retrieved 2 October 2026, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/23/notes/division/1/index.htm   The government is currently holding a consultation on the implementation of these powers.²⁰ UK Government, Planning powers for mayors in England, 24 August 2026, retrieved 2 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-powers-for-mayors-in-england/planning-powers-for-mayors-in-england

The Act also gives CCA the power to request to become an ‘Established Mayoral Strategic Authority’. Subject to meeting certain criteria and the approval of the Secretary of State, this enhanced status would bring additional powers and a single-pot, ‘integrated’ funding settlement.²¹ UK Government, English Devolution White Paper, 16 December 2024, retrieved 2 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-devolution-white-paper-power-and-partnership-foundations-for-growth/english-devolution-white-paper

How does CCA compare to the rest of the UK in terms of social and economic outcomes? 

Cumbria has a population of 513,650²² Office for National Statistics, ‘Population estimates for England and Wales: mid-2025’, Office for National Statistics, 8 October 2026, retrieved 13 October 2026, www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/populationestimatesforenglandandwales/mid2025   and generates a gross value added (GVA) of £11,864m per year.²³ Office for National Statistics, ‘Regional gross value added (income approach)’, Office for National Statistics, retrieved 13 October 2026, www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossvalueaddedgva/datasets/regionalgrossvalueaddedincomeapproach 

The region’s productivity, home standards, digital availability, skills and education are all below the UK or English average at the regional level. One of the region’s more significant underperformance within our analysis is its home standards rate, with 67.1% of private rented accommodation meeting the decent home standard in 2021, compared to an English average of 77.1%. There are further variations between the two local authorities, with Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness at 70.1% and 63.3% respectively.  

A relatively significant variation between the two authorities is seen in productivity, with Cumberland’s gross value added per hour worked at £32.10, and Westmorland and Furness’s at £41.40. Cumberland’s productivity level is also noticeably less than the national average of £41.87.  

Employment rates for 16 to 64 year olds are high across both local authorities, with Cumbria and Westmorland and Furness attaining 82.3% and 82% respectively. This surpasses the UK average of 75.7%. Cumbria also outperforms the UK on weekly income.  

How does CCA overlap with other administrative boundaries? 

The CCA area is coterminous with the police force and fire and rescue service areas. After Cumbria was divided into the two unitary authorities in 2023, the Police and Crime Commissioner took on responsibility for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s governance becoming Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) on 1 April 2023.¹ Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, ‘Fire Governance’, Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, (no date), retrieved 6 October 2026, www.cumbria-pfcc.gov.uk/what-we-do/fire-governance  

The area is covered by two Integrated Care Boards (ICB) – Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, and North East and North Cumbria ICB. North East and North Cumbria ICB has said it expects to stop serving those in north Cumbria with its role in the county to be taken over by Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB.² BBC News, ‘North East and Cumbria NHS care board boundaries likely to change’, 7 August 2026, retrieved 6 October 2026, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly953w3036o 

For the purposes of oversight of children’s social care, SEND and schools, Cumbria is part of a wider area covered by the Department of Education’s north west regional director.³ Cabinet Office, ‘Mark Taylor’, GOV.UK, (no date), retrieved 15 October 2026, www.gov.uk/government/people/mark-taylor--2