THE PRIME Minister has received a call from a Cumbrian political party to halt county changes, so that infrastructure can be put in place for a potential World War Three.

Fears that Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine could result in a third World War, have led Putting Cumbria First to pen a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

In their letter, the political party has warned that the conflict could spill out of the Ukraine and that with Cumbria’s councils focussing on local government reorganisation, the UK risks being caught unawares.

Cumbria’s seven existing councils are currently laying the groundwork for their predecessors, two unitary councils, one for the west and one for the east, which will replace them by 2023.

The efforts to create Cumberland Council, governing Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland, and Westmorland & Furness Council, governing Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow-in-Furness, has now reached Whitehall.

The Structural Changes Order, giving the UK Government the authority to split the council in this way is passing through Parliament and will reach the House of Lords on Wednesday.

But Putting Cumbria First believe that those efforts should be re-directed to preparing for the prospect of war in Europe.

Leader of the party Jonathan Davies said: “The way things are going, it’s inevitable that it’s going to spread out of Ukraine and across Europe, we’ve said for years now, the UK used to have civil defence.”

He said that councils are currently grappling with LGR whilst they deliver the usual day to day services and that authorities would not be able to cope with the additional task of Cumbria’s war effort.

“We really need to start ramping up and prepare for what is inevitable. We do need to get our act together. The district councils, even the county don’t have plans in place for if World War Three breaks out. The last two years have shown we really need plans in place.

“God forbid Putin decides to unleash the fires of hell on us, we’ll be in a position we couldn’t imagine.”

In a statement, the Putting Cumbria First political party has said that given the global instability posed by war in Europe, the government should “allow councils to focus on resilience and planning to support and protect communities and pause LGR."