The 5 Rivers Partnership
Despite the fact that Cumbria will not now have a unitary authority,
seven parish councils in Mid-Copeland, geographically defined by 5 rivers, have agreed
to continue to cooperate on matters of mutual interest.
Muncaster
Parish Council has joined with those of Drigg & Carleton, Gosforth,
Eskdale, Ponsonby, Seascale and Wasdale Parish Meeting to
present a united approach to statutory bodies and to benefit from
economies of scale. Cumbria Association of Local Councils
(CALC), Copeland Council and
Action with Communities in Cumbria, (ACT)
have
attended opening meetings and it is anticipated that others will become
members or will attend when appropriate.
Working with Local
Authorities:
Local authorities are now obliged to consult the people whose lives are affected by the decisions they make and to ensure that their services are fit for purpose. They will be judged by Comprehensive Area Assessments that will independently determine their success or otherwise.
Local authorities are now obliged to consult the people whose lives are affected by the decisions they make and to ensure that their services are fit for purpose. They will be judged by Comprehensive Area Assessments that will independently determine their success or otherwise.
At a conference held in
June 2009 at Muncaster Castle senior staff from
Copeland Borough and Cumbria County Councils, the Lake District National Park
Authority and Cumbria Rural Housing Trust agreed that, in the past,
their record of involving local communities in their decision making
processes had not been good. A past Audit Commission report on Copeland
Council had been positively scathing about their relations with the
community.
Progress:
The local
authorities have now appointed Community Engagement Officers and they
are working with the two Partnerships to address issues that are
compiled into their Action Plans.
The two
Partnerships have appointed a coordinator, Neil Robson who is also a
member of Muncaster Parish Council, to work on their behalf. Neil
can be contacted by email at
admin@MuncasterParishCouncil.org.uk
Notes of Meetings:
Notes of
meetings of the 5 Rivers Partnership can be found through the following
links;