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Westmorland and Furness

Coordinates: 54°19′34″N 2°44′42″W / 54.326°N 2.745°W / 54.326; -2.745
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the unitary authority area. For the historic county, see Westmorland. For other uses, see Westmoreland.

Westmorland and Furness
Unitary authority area
Westmorland and Furness shown within Cumbria
Westmorland and Furness shown within Cumbria
Coordinates: 54°19′34″N 2°44′42″W / 54.326°N 2.745°W / 54.326; -2.745
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryEngland
RegionNorth West
Ceremonial countyCumbria
Historic county
Incorporated1 April 2023
Named afterWestmorland and Furness
Administrative HQKendal
Government
[1]
 • TypeUnitary authority
 • BodyWestmorland and Furness Council
 • ExecutiveLeader and cabinet
 • ControlLiberal Democrats
 • LeaderJonathan Brook (LD)
 • ChairmanMatt Severn
 • MPs
4 MPs
Area
[2]
 • Total
3,756 km2 (1,450 sq mi)
 • Rank3rd
Population
 (2024)[3]
 • Total
230,185
 • Rank84th
 • Density61/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode areas
GSS codeE06000064
Websitewestmorlandandfurness.gov.uk


Westmorland and Furness is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England. It covers Westmorland, the Furness peninsula, and the areas around Penrith and Sedbergh. It is bordered by Cumberland to the north and west, Northumberland and North Yorkshire to the east, and the City of Lancaster district of Lancashire to the south. Its largest town is Barrow-in-Furness and its administrative centre is Kendal.

The council area was formed on 1 April 2023 during local government restructuring which saw the abolition of the former non-metropolitan county of Cumbria and the districts of Barrow-in-Furness, Eden, and South Lakeland; the area remains in Cumbria for ceremonial purposes. Prior to the local government reforms of 1974, its area was split between the counties of Westmorland, Cumberland, Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Westmorland and Furness is a single-tier local government area, being both a non-metropolitan county and district. Its sole local authority is Westmorland and Furness Council, which provides the services of both a county council and a district council. The first elections to the new authority took place in May 2022, with Westmorland and Furness Council acting as a 'shadow authority' until the abolition of the three former districts and Cumbria County Council on 1 April 2023.

The economy is mainly focused on tourism around both the Lake District and Cumbria Coast, shipbuilding and the Royal Port of Barrow, and agriculture in the rural parts of the area.

Background

[edit]

Elections to Cumbria County Council were due to take place in May 2021; however, they were postponed for one year by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government due to a consultation on local government reorganisation in the area.[4] In July 2021, the government announced that the current authorities in Cumbria would be abolished and replaced with two unitary authorities, with an east/west split of the county.[5]

Opponents of the reorganisation claimed that the proposal was being pursued to benefit the electoral prospects of the Conservative Party. Cumbria County Council, which would be abolished under the plans, sought judicial review to prevent the reorganisation from taking place.[6] The judicial review was refused by the High Court in January 2022.[7] Draft statutory instruments to bring about local government reorganisation in Cumbria were subsequently laid before parliament.[8] The Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022 (2022 No. 331) was made on 17 March 2022, and came into force the following day.[9]

The name of the unitary authority derives from the county of Westmorland and the peninsula of Furness.[10] Westmorland was previously an administrative county until it was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 and became part of the new county of Cumbria. Furness was part of the administrative county of Lancashire until 1974; together with the Cartmel Peninsula, it formed an exclave of that county, historically part of the Lonsdale Hundred of Lancashire known as North Lonsdale or Lancashire North of the Sands.[11] In addition to those areas, the district includes part of the historic county of Cumberland in the Penrith area and an area centred on Sedbergh, which was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Geography

[edit]
The densely residential Barrow Island
Skyline of Central Barrow
The medieval ruins of Furness Abbey
A coastal scene in North Walney
Piers at Bowness-on-Windermere
Kendal Castle with the town in the background
Sculpture within Grizedale Forest
The town of Ambleside
View from the summit of Helvellyn
The scenic Kirkstone Pass
Arthur's Pike overlooking Ullswater
The historic Lowther Castle

The territory of Westmorland and Furness includes parts of the Lake District National Park and the Yorkshire Dales and its national park.

The major settlements and civil parishes within the boundaries of Westmorland and Furness are:

Neighbouring council areas
Local authority In relation to the district
Cumberland North
Northumberland North east
County Durham East
North Yorkshire South east
Lancaster South

Town and country planning

[edit]

The planning system of England applies to Westmorland and Furness. As of October 2025, the local plans in force remain those prepared by the former districts of the area, except in the national parks, which have separate local plans.[12] In 2024, Westmorland and Furness Council commenced preparing a new district-wide local plan to replace the three previous local plans.[13]

Politics

[edit]

Westmorland and Furness was established by The Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022. It is both a non-metropolitan county and non-metropolitan district.[14]

Westmorland and Furness Council has 65 councillors,[15] and the first election to the local authority was in May 2022. At that election the Liberal Democrats secured a majority on the incoming council with 36 out of 65 councillors. Labour have 15 councillors, the Conservatives have 11 councillors, the Green Party have 1 councillor and 2 councillors were elected as independents.[16][17]

Affiliation Members
Liberal Democrats 36
Labour Party 15
Conservative Party 11
Independent 2
Green Party 1

Westmorland and Furness, together with neighbouring Cumberland, constitute a ceremonial county named Cumbria for the purpose of lieutenancy and shrievalties, being presided over by a Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria and a High Sheriff of Cumbria. Ceremonial counties do not discharge any administrative function.[14][18] The Government consulted on establishing a Cumbria Combined Authority in 2025, which would comprise Westmorland and Furness Council alongside Cumberland Council.[19]

Police services are provided by Cumbria Constabulary and fire services by Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service. These are both overseen by the Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.[20]

Twinnings
Settlement Twinned settlement
Dalton-in-Furness Dalton, Pennsylvania, United States
Kendal
Penrith Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
Sedbergh Zreče, Slovenia
Ulverston Albert, France
Windermere Diessen am Ammersee, Germany

Economy

[edit]

Transport

[edit]

The West Coast Main Railway Line runs through the district, with stations at Penrith and Oxenholme. Services on the line are provided by Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express. The Northern Settle–Carlisle line also runs through, with stations at Armathwaite, Lazonby, Langwathby, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen, Garsdale and Dent. Other lines in the district include the Cumbrian Coast (the line terminates at Barrow-in-Furness), Furness (to Lancaster) and Lakes (which runs through Kendal).

Roads through the district include the M6 motorway, the A6 and the A66.

Media

[edit]

In terms of television, the area is covered by BBC North West and ITV Granada which both broadcast from Salford and BBC North East and Cumbria broadcasting from Newcastle and ITV Border that broadcast from Gateshead.

Radio stations for the area are BBC Radio Cumbria, BBC Radio Lancashire can also be received, Heart North West, Smooth Lake District, Greatest Hits Radio Cumbria & South West Scotland and community based stations: Eden FM Radio, Lake District Radio,[30] and Bay Trust Radio.[31]

The district's local newspapers are the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald, The Westmorland Gazette and North West Evening Mail.[32]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Councillors and committees". Westmorland and Furness Council. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, United Kingdom, June 2024". Office for National Statistics. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  3. ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, United Kingdom, June 2024". Office for National Statistics. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Local elections postponed in three English counties". BBC News. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Cumbria councils to be replaced by two authorities". BBC News. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Cumbria County Council launches legal action over shake-up". BBC News. October 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Bid to stop local government reorganisation lands county council with £30,000 bill - cumbriacrack.com".
  8. ^ "The Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022".
  9. ^ "The Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022".
  10. ^ Kenyon, Megan (8 November 2021). "Names of two new Cumbria unitaries confirmed". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  11. ^ "North Lonsdale Lancashire". Vision of Britain.
  12. ^ "About legacy Local Plans | Westmorland and Furness Council". www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  13. ^ "Westmorland and Furness Local Plan | Westmorland and Furness Council". www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  14. ^ a b "The Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Elections – May 2022". New Councils for Cumbria.
  16. ^ "Westmorland and Furness". www.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk.
  17. ^ "Westmorland & Furness result – Local Elections 2022". BBC News.
  18. ^ "Lieutenancies Act 1997". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Cumbria devolution consultation". GOV.UK. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
  20. ^ Milligan, Laura (4 April 2023). "PCC officially takes on responsibility for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service's governance". Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  21. ^ BAE Workforce 2025
  22. ^ "Port of Barrow". Associated British Ports Holdings. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  23. ^ "Kimberly-Clark Barrow". Kimberly-Clark. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  24. ^ "James Fisher & Sons Barrow". James Fisher & Sons. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  25. ^ "Stollers Barrow". Stollers. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  26. ^ "Center Parcs". Center Parcs. Archived from the original on 12 July 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  27. ^ "GlaxoSmithKline Ulverston". GlaxoSmithKline. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  28. ^ "Lakeland Windermere". Lakeland. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  29. ^ "Heinz Kendal". Applegate. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  30. ^ "Real Radio, Real People and Really Local!". Lake District Radio. 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Welcome to Bay Trust Radio". Bay Trust Radio Radio. 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Local Newspapers for Cumbria and the Lake District".
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