During the first two years at Cumberland Council we have begun the work, with our residents and our partner organisations, to improve services across Cumberland and deliver the ambitions set out in our first Council Plan. Over the last two years we have achieved a significant amount as a new council, providing and improving services to our residents, and improvements to our area. Our achievements include:
Distributed Neighbourhood Investment Funding of £700,000 to community groups in Cumberland through our Neighbourhood Panels to support grass roots initiatives that matter to our communities.
Achieved a good Ofsted rating for our children's social care services reflecting the council's strong commitment to improving the lives of children, young people, and families.
95% of council maintained schools are rated good or outstanding.
Partnered with the DWP to pay over £40 million in housing benefits to 6,500 residents, alongside awarding £280,000 through 600+ Discretionary Housing Payments to support vulnerable households and prevent homelessness.
In 2024 to 2025, we delivered £22 million of support through our Local Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme providing relief to 18,000 residents in low-income households, including 7,000 pensioners.
Introduced 6 new bus routes using the 1st phase of Bus Services Improvement Funding.
8,743 pothole defect reports completed in 2024 to 2025 across our road network of 2,254 miles.
1.2 million items have been accessed through our digital library offer, and approximately 750,000 books have been borrowed from our busy public libraries since April 2023.
Responded to over 380,000 customer queries, including over 50,000 face-to-face interactions with residents.
719 grants for housing adaptations were provided in 2024 to 2025 supporting people to stay in their own homes.
94% of Disabled Facilities Grant customers were very satisfied with the service received in 2024 to 2025.
Launched the first of our new Family Hubs in Whitehaven, This is a partnership approach with health providers and voluntary and community sector partners, making it easier for families to access support and advice in one single place. The Hub has engaged with over 3000 children and young people.
Major regeneration programmes have made significant progress, including at Carlisle, Cleator Moor, Maryport, Millom, Workington and Whitehaven – footfall in Maryport has increased by 35% after £12 million investment in regeneration projects in the town.
Delivered a programme of 6 deep cleans and across our towns as part of our commitment to creating cleaner, more inviting spaces for residents, visitors, and businesses alike.
Over 146,000 people have attended 8 major events led by the council including the Carlisle Fireshow, the Workington Hall Light and Sound show and Taste Festivals. Evaluations for 4 of those events estimate local economic benefit of over £4 million.
Our Adult Social Care and Housing teams have been working to make sure that more people are supported to stay at home or return home after stays in hospital. This has included:
Increasing intermediate care beds from 12 to 28 and admissions by over 50% compared to 2023 to 2024.
Increasing reablement capacity by 51% in 2024 to 2025 compared to 2023 to 2024.
Provided 53 additional hospital discharge grants through the Local Authority Discharge Fund.