• Contact us
  • About us
  • Digital edition
  • Online archive
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
  • News
    Penrith man admits possessing cannabis twice with intent to supply

    Penrith man admits possessing cannabis twice with intent to supply

    Risks and strategies for flexible pension drawdown

    Risks and strategies for flexible pension drawdown

    Man arrested after fleeing from police in Penrith

    Man arrested after fleeing from police in Penrith

    £37.7 million to tackle potholes and upgrade roads

    £37.7 million to tackle potholes and upgrade roads

    Over £38,000-worth of fake goods seized at Appleby Horse Fair

    Over £38,000-worth of fake goods seized at Appleby Horse Fair

    New bid for Appleby stallion sculpture revealed

    New bid for Appleby stallion sculpture revealed

    18th century Eden pub sold as owners retire

    18th century Eden pub sold as owners retire

    Tebay’s plans for battery storage unit

    Tebay’s plans for battery storage unit

    Pub landlord must remove Covid canopy

    Pub landlord must remove Covid canopy

  • Sport
    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

    Darren Edmondson leaves Penrith AFC

    Darren Edmondson leaves Penrith AFC

    Lucy plays key role in county T20 triumph

    Lucy plays key role in county T20 triumph

    Gold for Keith in annual festival of orienteering

    Gold for Keith in annual festival of orienteering

  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Online archive
  • Buy Photos
  • Buy your paper
  • North Lakes Living
No Result
View All Result
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
  • News
    Penrith man admits possessing cannabis twice with intent to supply

    Penrith man admits possessing cannabis twice with intent to supply

    Risks and strategies for flexible pension drawdown

    Risks and strategies for flexible pension drawdown

    Man arrested after fleeing from police in Penrith

    Man arrested after fleeing from police in Penrith

    £37.7 million to tackle potholes and upgrade roads

    £37.7 million to tackle potholes and upgrade roads

    Over £38,000-worth of fake goods seized at Appleby Horse Fair

    Over £38,000-worth of fake goods seized at Appleby Horse Fair

    New bid for Appleby stallion sculpture revealed

    New bid for Appleby stallion sculpture revealed

    18th century Eden pub sold as owners retire

    18th century Eden pub sold as owners retire

    Tebay’s plans for battery storage unit

    Tebay’s plans for battery storage unit

    Pub landlord must remove Covid canopy

    Pub landlord must remove Covid canopy

  • Sport
    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Patterdale’s Eden Eagles make history

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith teen crowned British vault champion

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    Penrith gymnasts represent North of England in finals

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    New boss revealed for Penrith AFC

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

    Penrith Panthers celebrate winning season

    Darren Edmondson leaves Penrith AFC

    Darren Edmondson leaves Penrith AFC

    Lucy plays key role in county T20 triumph

    Lucy plays key role in county T20 triumph

    Gold for Keith in annual festival of orienteering

    Gold for Keith in annual festival of orienteering

  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Online archive
  • Buy Photos
  • Buy your paper
  • North Lakes Living
No Result
View All Result
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald
No Result
View All Result
Home Latest

How will new Cumbrian councils handle £163 million-worth of existing borrowing?

by CWH
4 January 2022
in Latest, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Work is underway to decide how two new Cumbrian authorities will handle the “eye watering amount” of borrowing by existing councils.

Cumbria County Council had the largest amount of borrowing in March 2020 at £86.75 million, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has heard.

Barrow Borough Council had the second largest level of borrowing of all Cumbrian councils at £34.48 million.

Allerdale Borough Council borrowed £16.56 million, Carlisle City Council borrowed £13.29 million and South Lakes District Council borrowed £12.80 million.

Eden District Council has not borrowed a single pound from Government since before the previous administration.

Two new unitary authorities set to take over in March 2023 will inherit the debt of existing councils.

Leader of Allerdale Borough Council Mike Johnson said that his authority’s borrowing was driven up by the construction of Workington Leisure Centre.

“That was the leisure centre predominantly, the previous administration borrowed that money to build the leisure centre.

“All councils borrow money, it’s a fact of life – if you want to do something, build something, you borrow money and pay it off.”

Explaining the disparity between Allerdale’s borrowing and the county council’s, he said: “They’re a larger council for one and they’ve got a lot of assets but it’s a significant amount of money.

“There’s a programme of work going on at the minute to work out how that lending, more so the county’s, will be handled by the new authorities.”

Cllr Johnson said that Copeland’s financial troubles are exaggerated compared to the borrowing of the county council: “That’s the number that would keep me awake at night. They went to court with Amey about seven years ago and lost.”

Amey were the highways contractor for the county council at the time.

Cllr Johnson said: “And it ended up costing us as taxpayers £26 million.”

Leader of Cumbria County Council Stewart Young said that Conservatives are trying to shift the blame as “much of the debt was incurred when the Conservatives were in various administrations”.

Cllr Young said: “The county council borrows money to fund capital expenditure, such as building and maintaining schools, care homes and fire stations for example. District councils have much fewer responsibilities and so don’t need to borrow as much.

“We didn’t need to borrow to fund the Amey case as we had made provision for it, as any sensible council would do.

“Splitting this debt between two new unitaries will be incredibly complicated, and like everything else hasn’t been thought through in advance by those who thought it was a good idea.”

Mayor of Copeland Mike Starkie has pointed to the low borrowing of his authority as evidence that it is not financially mismanaged.

“The council (Copeland) only has legacy borrowing of £5 million from 2002 by the previous administration. We have gone to government to get permission to utilise some of that for our revenue budget on behalf of constituents.”

Eden Council leader Virginia Taylor confirmed that the authority has not borrowed money from the Government and did not inherit any debt from the previous administration.

“But I’m not happy about taking on other authority’s debts if that’s the result of poor financial management or for example having unwise court cases.”

Related Posts

Penrith man admits possessing cannabis twice with intent to supply
Latest

Penrith man admits possessing cannabis twice with intent to supply

17 June 2025
Risks and strategies for flexible pension drawdown
Expert advice

Risks and strategies for flexible pension drawdown

15 June 2025
Man arrested after fleeing from police in Penrith
News

Man arrested after fleeing from police in Penrith

13 June 2025
£37.7 million to tackle potholes and upgrade roads
Latest

£37.7 million to tackle potholes and upgrade roads

13 June 2025
Over £38,000-worth of fake goods seized at Appleby Horse Fair
News

Over £38,000-worth of fake goods seized at Appleby Horse Fair

13 June 2025
New bid for Appleby stallion sculpture revealed
News

New bid for Appleby stallion sculpture revealed

13 June 2025
No Result
View All Result

Stay connected

Facebook Twitter Instagram

Most popular

Over £38,000-worth of fake goods seized at Appleby Horse Fair

Over £38,000-worth of fake goods seized at Appleby Horse Fair

13 June 2025
Pub landlord must remove Covid canopy

Pub landlord must remove Covid canopy

13 June 2025
Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

Double national triumph for Stuart Robinson

13 June 2025
Special needs campsite set to open in Eden

Special needs campsite set to open in Eden

13 June 2025
Risks and strategies for flexible pension drawdown

Risks and strategies for flexible pension drawdown

15 June 2025
Man arrested after fleeing from police in Penrith

Man arrested after fleeing from police in Penrith

13 June 2025
Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Logo

33 Middlegate
Penrith
Cumbria
CA11 7SY

Phone: 01768 862313
Email: news@cwherald.com

Registered in England as Barrnon Media Limited. No: 12475190
VAT registration number: 343486488

Explore

  • News
  • Sport
  • Farming
  • Property
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Your view

Useful links

  • Contact us
  • Photosales
  • Online archive
  • Buy your paper
  • Digital edition
  • North Lakes Living
  • Advertise
  • About us

Follow us on

© Barrnon Media Limited 2025

Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy

This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation
Review Your Cart
0
Discount
Add Coupon Code
Subtotal
Total Installment Payments
Bundle Discount
Checkout

 
0
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Obituaries
  • Nostalgia
  • Online archive
  • more
    • North Lakes Living
    • Buy Photos
    • Buy your paper
    • About us
    • Contact us

© 2020 Cumberland & Westmorland Herald