Negotiations to secure an historic multi-million pound devolution deal for Cumbria are ongoing.

Council bosses turned down an offer from the Government in February after deeming it was not affordable for the county, but insist talks are ongoing.

An agreement for Cumbria could see the area take control of a range of its own public services.

Cumbria County Council leader Councillor Stewart Young suggested a deal is still some way off – with a number of conditions attached by Government ministers unpalatable to county council bosses.

Speaking at the council’s annual general meeting, held in Kendal, Mr Young said: “There are still a number of sticking points.

“We put forward our proposal jointly for a total investment over 15 years of £450 million and we were led to believe that was acceptable to ministers.

“But we then had a meeting with ministers who told us we had absolutely no chance of getting that funding and we were instead told it would be nowhere near that.

“It would be less than we receive now.”

Mr Young added: “The Government are insisting upon another tier of governance and a directly elected mayor in place by 2017.

“We don’t think that’s possible, even if it was desirable.

“We would be left in a position where people would have to ring the office of the elected mayor about problems with a pothole or a street light.”

However, Mr Young clashed with opposition leader James Airey over attendance at a meeting to discuss the devolution bid, known as the Cumbria Deal, last month. 

Mr Airey alleged no-one from Cumbria County Council had attended the meeting, at Kendal College in Kendal and said it was a ‘political snub’ – a point Mr Young denied.

The man newly-appointed to head Cumbria’s fire service has been welcomed by council bosses.

Paul Hancock has become Cumbria’s fire and rescue boss while retaining his post as the head of Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service following the retirement of Jim Onions last month.

Mr Hancock, who is from Whitehaven, was assistant chief fire officer for Cumbria before he left in 2007.

Chief executive Diane Wood said the county would “reap the benefits” of Mr Hancock’s knowledge of the area, as well as from his national position of president of the Chief Fire Officers’ Association.