Supporting the transition to a strong, inclusive and green economy by focusing on our businesses, our people and our assets.
We want to enable the move to an economy that builds wealth locally and offers opportunities for everyone and people have the skills to take them. Overall Cumberland’s unemployment rate is below the national average, but there are significant variations across our area in both unemployment rates and weekly earnings, with serious ‘cold spots’ of worklessness and deprivation. Cumberland’s workforce challenge is significant – our declining working age population presents a major labour supply challenge and we have a limited pool of higher level skills spread across a large geographical area. The rural nature of our area creates accessibility challenges in terms of having the right infrastructure to link communities with employment opportunities. But we have some significant opportunities, not least our outstanding natural environment and landscape providing key current and future resources for the UK in recreation, green energy and food production, and the potential for future major investment in clean energy.
As a major employer in Cumberland we want to make the most of our influence - we want to achieve greater social value in public sector procurements, exploring more ways of retaining wealth within our community. We will seek to utilise our assets as a catalyst for economic activity, generating opportunities for residents, businesses, social enterprises and the community and voluntary sector alike.
Our areas of focus for the next 2 years will be on:
| Activity | Milestone | Lead Director | Portfolio Holder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop the supply chain by procuring and developing a Capital Works Framework for Cumberland that supports the Cumberland economy and is aligned with the future programmes within the council. | By 30 April 2026 | Corporate and Transformation Services | Financial Planning and Assets |
| Implement a new procurement policy designed to drive transformation and build wealth in the local communities. | By 31 May 2027 | Corporate and Transformation Services | Financial Planning and Assets |
| Grow the social enterprise sector in Cumberland by supporting and encouraging start-ups through Cumbria Social Enterprise Partnership | By 30 April 2027 | Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing | Public Health and Communities |
Progress St. Cuthbert's Garden Village Local Plan and special purpose delivery vehicle, including:
| By 30 September 2025 | Corporate and Transformation Services Place and Economy | Environment and Planning |
| Progress early phases of housing delivery within St. Cuthbert's Garden Village. | By 31 March 2027 | Place and Economy | Environment and Planning |
Develop the Cumberland Local Plan (adapting to new national plan making regulations in late 2025), including:
| By 30 November 2025 By 31 July 2026 | Corporate and Transformation Services Place and Economy | Environment and Planning |
| Deliver a programme of Place Standard and Place Based initiatives which respond to the ambitions of our residents and drive our Neighbourhood Invest Plans. | 5 targeted Place Standard exercises per year | Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing and Place and Economy | Public Health and Communities |
| Proactively engage in the national Devolution Priority Programme to inform decision-making on the proposal to establish a Mayoral Strategic Authority in Cumbria and subject to agreement, deliver the programme to create a Cumbria Mayoral Strategic Authority. | Ongoing (subject to legislation) | Assistant Chief Executive | Leader |
| Develop and begin delivery of an Inclusive Growth Strategy for Cumberland. | 31 December 2025 | Place and Economy | Leader |
| Agree and embed the council's approach to Community Wealth Building. | By 31 March 2026 | Place and Economy | Leader |
| Delivery of the Cumberland Sports Village to deliver a new community stadium and wider facilities for the community of Workington. | By 31 July 2027 | Place and Economy | Leader |
| Deliver Place programmes in Wigton, Longtown and Egremont focused on ensuring places and communities look and feel attractive and engaging to residents, business and visitors. | Ongoing | Place and Economy | Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places |
| Complete Future High Street Programmes in Carlisle and Maryport. | By 31 March 2026 | Place and Economy | Leader |
| Progress advanced delivery on Town Deal, Borderlands and Levelling Up programmes in Carlisle, Cleator Moor, Millom and Workington. | By 31 March 2026 | Place and Economy | Leader |
| Develop appropriate delivery models, Special Purpose Vehicles and other partnerships designed to facilitate large pipeline projects such as Moorside and the Port of Workington. | Ongoing | Place and Economy | Leader |
| Development and delivery of the Connect to Work programme and the Get Britain Working strategy for Cumberland. | Ongoing | Place and Economy | Leader |
| Delivery of support and enforcement activity to coordinate town and city centre renewal programmes. | Ongoing | Place and Economy | Leader |
Deliver masterplans to stimulate investment and regeneration across two key service centres:
| By 31 December 2025 By 1 April 2026 | Place and Economy | Leader |
| Develop and inward investment programme focused on a pipeline of strategic projects across Cumberland; and, deliver the agreed programme. | By 30 November 2025 Ongoing | Place and Economy | Leader |
| Deliver Wave 6 and Wave 7 Skills Bootcamp Programme. | By 30 September 2027 | Place and Economy (Enterprising Cumbria) | Leader |
Under the UKSPF programme operating within Cumberland, we will support economic growth by providing:
| By 31 March 2026 | Place and Economy (Enterprising Cumbria) | Leader |
| Key performance indicator | Target |
|---|---|
| Increase the percentage of council spend with local small and medium-sized enterprises. | 40% |
| Increase the percentage of tenders advertised with at least 10% social value award criteria. | 50% |
| Increase the percentage of major planning applications completed in 13 weeks. | 80% |
| Increase the percentage of minor planning applications completed in 8 weeks. | 90% |
| Increase the percentage householder planning applications decided within 8 weeks following validation by authority. | 90% |
| Increase the percentage of applications determined by Building Control within statutory period of 5 weeks or 2 calendar months (with the consent of the applicant). | 100% |
| Increase the percentage of full land searches completed within 10 working days. | 65% |
| Increase the percentage of all highways defects completed within agreed response times. | 80% |
| Increase the percentage of pothole repairs completed within agreed response times. | 80% |