HERE is the weekly column from Copeland MP Trudy Harrison. 

Next week will see the most important local elections in a generation take place here in Cumbria.

On Thursday, May 5, residents will go to the polls to elect the first set of 46 unitary Cumberland councillors – representing Copeland, Allerdale and Carlisle in the newly-created authority.

The change in the structure of local government is significant, and much-needed. The switch from having a county council and six districts to having two unitary authorities responsible for all services in their respective areas (one for Cumberland and one for Westmorland and Furness) will make for efficiency, simplification and better service-delivery for residents – and greater opportunities for our area.

The first election offers Copeland residents the chance to shape this new council right from the outset.

The 46 councillors elected – including 12 from divisions in the Copeland borough – will form a shadow authority for the next 12-month transition period and will continue in their roles for a further four-year term when the new council takes control in 2023.

Crucially, these councillors will be responsible for shaping how the new council is structured, how services are delivered to you, and how your council tax is spent.

It is vital, therefore, that for strong and effective leadership on Cumberland Council, Conservative candidates receive your vote.

The Conservatives have a track record of delivering in Copeland – at a national, county and borough level. National funding has been secured, for example, for £130m of new facilities at the West Cumberland Hospital, a £20m rebuild programme at Whitehaven Academy and a £12m flood defence scheme in Egremont, while Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall has secured Home Office investment for new lighting and CCTV cameras, in addition to new dedicated Community Beat Officers.

The Conservatives on Cumbria County Council recently – and successfully – proposed an extra £1.2m in the budget to fix some of the worst roads in the county, of which Copeland will get £200,000. This is in addition to a range of grassroots schemes carried out by the Conservative-led Local Committee for Copeland, including footpath improvements in Haverigg, Silecroft and St Bees.

And at borough council level, Copeland Council and the Elected Mayor have delivered a £1m Pride of Place scheme for improvements in every town in Copeland, and Millom and Cleator Moor have been offered £20.6m and £22.5m respectively for transformational Town Deals.
On May 5, I encourage residents to vote for local representatives who can be trusted to deliver. I encourage residents to vote Conservative.

** For further information on the Cumberland Council elections – and for pledges and contact details for all the Conservative candidates – visit www.cumberlandconservatives.org.uk