COPELAND'S Borough Council plans to raise council tax by 1.95 per cent have been voted down.

In an online special council meeting on Thursday evening, which lasted for more than four hours, councillors voted against the proposals by 17 votes to 15.

The meeting was then adjourned and will reconvene in the near future where amendments will be considered.

A number of proposals had been presented by Copeland's mayor Mike Starkie in the papers as part of the revenue budget for 2021-22, medium term financial strategy for 2021-2023, the 2021-22 treasury management strategy and capital programme 2021-2026.

Councillor Starkie said: "Today I set out to present my sixth budget to the council, it is also a period of reflection over the challenges we faced and the challenges that we have go ahead and some of the progress that we've made as a council since 2015.

"This budget has been in a different kind of context, it has been set in the Covid year which has presented a whole range of challenges in itself.

"Also the starting gun has now been fired on local government reform with a likely outcome that all the council's will be dissolved for a new administration yet to be determined to come into place.

"That is something that has been anticipated for quite a length of time and something I have been a great advocate of before I was elected for first time in 2015.
"But that now looks like it is coming to pass."

He said that his administration has grappling with problems that has affected the council for decades and added: "We have to understand some of the issues that we have worked with for the six years."

This included starting from a low asset base, income streams "after decades of non investment into areas that deliver income for the council".

Councillor Eileen Weir, who represents Whitehaven central, proposed an objection  with regard to cremation charges.

She said: "A child between one month and 6-years-old, the cremation charges will be increased and their is a huge gap of £500 between a child of 16 and onwards, I propose that this is amended to a young person up to the age of 25 because of the situation with Covid."

However this was also defeated by 17 votes to 15.