LEADERS of North Cumbrian councils clashed at a meeting last week as they voted not to recommend a Code of Conduct, constitution and allowance scheme to their replacement.

A committee of senior councillors from Cumbria County Council, Allerdale Council; Carlisle City and Copeland Council met for the second time last week.

The Joint Committee is tasked with paving the way for Cumberland Council, a new unitary authority that will take over from them in the areas of Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland by 2023.

But due to concerns about the proposed Code of Conduct, Constitution and renumeration scheme, councillors voted not to recommend any of them to the new authority.

Labour councillors proposed motions to drop the word “recommend” as they did not want to appear in support of the proposals.

The Shadow Authority serving for one year after the elections on May 5, could have decided not to adopt the recommended Code of Conduct, constitution and pay scheme in any case but Labour moved that the committee gives no opinion on them either way.

Speaking at the meeting last Tuesday, Leader of Carlisle’s Labour Group Lisa Brown raised a concern about the proposed Member’s Allowances Scheme.

She said: “I don’t know where this has been based on, I’ve heard rumours it was an authority that was actually in financial dire straits when they came up with the scheme I would again move that we don’t actually recommend this to the new authority but it’s passed over to them to consider in the entirety.”

Cllr Brown said that policies proposed for the new council lacked support for parents and carers.

Councillor David Moore, of Copeland Council’s Conservative leadership said that Labour “made a mockery” of the process and that recommending a constitution would help Cumberland Council to be “safe and compliant” from day one.

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“This is to make life a bit safer for us. It’s just an opportunity to try and prolong the situation we’re in, it’s clear some members are not wanting to have a new authority, it’s just slowing down the process.”

Conservative leader of Allerdale Borough Council Mike Johnson said that high ranking officers will provide support to the new authority during its transition year.

 

But Cumbria County Council’s highways and transport boss Keith Little said: “Is there not a danger, when we say we’re going to pass things and recommend that they adopt these, it may just be that they think this is the perfect picture.

“Because there are going to be a lot of new people on these new authorities who are not used to the processes that many of us around this table are used to and I think “passing it to them for consideration” is a different aspect.

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