THE new Cumberland Council will be tasked with deciding how council tax is worked out in Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland in 2023 and beyond.

Cumbria County Council, Carlisle City Council and the borough councils of Allerdale and Copeland will cease to exist from April 1, 2023.

On that date, Cumberland Council, will take control and act as the single responsible authority in all three areas.

Westmorland and Furness Council will take over as the new unitary authority in Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow-in-Furness.

But councillors elected on May 5 will first serve as a Shadow Authority, working alongside the existing authorities during a one year transition period.

One of the matters to be decided by the Shadow Authorities will be how council tax in figured out in the new system of local government.

The Shadow Authorities will be tasked with drawing-up a Council Tax Harmonisation Plan.

Residents will continue to pay council tax to the current authority in their area until Vesting Day when they will pay the fee for their property to the new Cumberland Council.

There will not be an increase in council tax during the shadow year as the Shadow Authorities will NOT carry out services such as planning and highways maintenance.

Those services will continue to be carried out by the relevant authority until they officially handover to Cumberland Council in 2023.

Until then, the costs of the Shadow Authorities and their members will be covered by the existing councils who each contributed to a £19 million funding pot.

An independent report prepared for the county council in 2015 considers the financial implications of the local government restructure.

The report reveals that council tax would have to be the same for each of the areas on the new council’s patch.

This would mean a Band D property paying the same amount of council tax in Carlisle as a Band D property in Allerdale.

The report was prepared when options for the council overhaul were being considered. It reveals that, had the Government chosen to create one unitary authority for the entire county, council tax would be the made the same across Cumbria.

It reads: “There are currently variations in the level of council tax paid across the county due to the differing levels set by individual districts.

“Reorganisation would enable council tax levels to be harmonised depending on the preferred option and level of savings realised which can be reinvested.

"It is important to note that the potential savings set out above will increase or decrease according to the harmonisation approach taken.”