READERS concerns have been raised to council chiefs about their transparency in plans to reorganise how Cumbria will be governed.

The Secretary of State set the wheels in motion in 2020 to change how Cumbria is governed, inviting councils leaders to submit their ideas of how the new system of Local Government should look.

The winning bid which was selected in 2021, will see Cumberland Council ruling over Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland.

Westmorland and Furness Council will take over as the authority for Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow-in-Furness. Seven new councils will cease to exist when new authorities take over in 2023.

Facebook user, Kairen Moore, said: ‘If we get new ones we might actually get the fundings we receive spent on the towns and city instead of them lot fiddling it. Seriously asking why they’re being kept out they’d of known they’d only get away with it for so long before the government stepped in.’

Another user, Neil Goodwin, said: ‘It’s all about the Conservatives positioning the boundaries locally and nationally. If this new model is needed then it must be transparent.’

Reader, Judith Yates, commented: ‘It's true, important decisions are not being made.

"They could run alongside the new Pools at The Sands Centre increasing the types of health offer to the residents of Carlisle and surrounding areas. It is up to Cllr Higgs and his colleagues to make provision for a continuing contract as he is Portfolio Holder.

"urrently the situation is that "The Victorian Health Suite" will close when the new pools open. If the pools are drained they will crack resulting in a massive amount of money needed to ever open them up again; just refilling them with water would cost around £20,000 each.

"Surely the health and wellbeing of local people means so much more than money?'