THE MAYOR of Copeland Borough Council has provided an update on the huge body of work to prepare two new authorities for Cumbria, which will replace the existing seven.

Full council heard from mayor Mike Starkie last week that work is underway on a weekly basis to prepare Cumbria for the transition from seven councils to two.

Questions were asked by councillors about Copeland's financial contribution to the process and the legal challenge against the process lodged by Cumbria County Council who believe it is a political power grab from the Conservative Government.

Mr Starkie said: "We have been running regular updates with the officers and it's been quite disappointing in the member updates we've run that, on average, we've been getting less than 50 per cent attendance.

"But in terms of where we are now, the draft Structural Change Order has come through and the two unitary councils: over here in the west it's going to be called Cumberland (Council) and in the east it will be Westmorland and Furness."

The SCO is a document sent to the existing councils by Central Government - who triggered the reform process - explaining their legal authority to reorganise how Cumbria is governed.

Cumberland Council will have 46 elected members to cover Carlisle, Allerdale and Copeland.

Westmorland and Furness Council will have 65 members to cover Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow-in-Furness.

Mr Starkie said: "In the area that was, or currently is Copeland, where there's currently 12 county councillors and 33 district councillors, there'll be 12 councillors in the new council. Out of 46 in total."

The Labour and Liberal Democrat led Cumbria County Council has launched a legal challenge - or Judicial Review - in opposition to the process in the belief that it is being carried out in an "unlawful" way.

There is a belief amongst the county council's Labour group that the Conservative Government is trying to consolidate its power in Cumbria with the east-west split. Leader of the council Stewart Young has said that Cumbria will "cease to exist" following the process and that constituents will either live in Cumberland or Westmorland and Furness. Mr Starkie and fellow Conservatives have refuted this claim.

At Copeland's full council, Leader of its Labour Group Mike McVeigh said: "Has there been any update at all on when the judicial review decision will be possible?"

Copeland Borough Council's Director of Corporate Services and Commercial Strategy Sarah Pemberton said: "We're waiting for a court hearing date."

The judicial review hearing date is expected in January.

"We're expecting that will be heard in the magistrate courts and this is a pre-hearing to see whether the judicial review will actually go forward to full trial."

Each council will have to contribute to a County Wide Implementation Reserve. Funds from the pot will be used to meet the costs of setting up the two new unitary councils, it is estimated £18,920,000 will be needed in total.

Fellow Labour councillor Mike Hawkins said: "We believe that Copeland's contribution will be somewhere in the range of £1.6 million. This next point is for the mayor. Seen as though you had to borrow £1.6 million out of reserves last year to fund the budget, how are you going to pay £1.6 million for our contribution to the transition fund?"

Mr Starkie said: "It will all be detailed in the budget which will be presented to you in February but we will be making a £1.6 million contribution along with the other six district councils."