Proposal to explore harmonising Parish and Town Council elections in Westmorland and Furness approved

A proposal to hold a Community Governance Review (CGR) into harmonising Parish and Town Council elections in Westmorland and Furness has been approved by the council. 

When Westmorland & Furness Council was established through local government reorganisation, the scheduled election dates for a number of parish and town council remained unchanged. 

The next scheduled elections for the Westmorland and Furness authority are in May 2027. At present, scheduled elections to parish and town councils in the authority area are due to take place in 2026, 2027, and 2028.

Deputy Leader of the council and Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Andrew Jarvis, said:

”Parish and Town Councils play a vital role in representing and serving their local communities, across the whole of the Westmorland & Furness area.

“Holding parish and town council elections in different years to the elections to Westmorland & Furness Council can cause confusion and uncertainty for electors, and adds to the costs both for the local councils and this authority.

“This proposed CGR will enable us to bring all scheduled parish and town council election dates into alignment with those of Westmorland & Furness council, subject to the outcome of consultation.”

Linda Jones, the council Chief Legal and Monitoring Officer, said: 

“The CGR to amend the election dates includes a statutory period of consultation, which enables local people and affected parish and town councils to give their views on the proposal.

“If, following the consultation and consideration by full Council, later in the year, the election dates are to be changed then the terms of office for existing parish and town councillors will be amended to allow all scheduled parish and town council elections to take place in 2027 alongside those for Westmorland & Furness Council.”

An ongoing Local Government Boundary Commission of England (LGBCE) review of ward boundaries in Westmorland and Furness means that a further CGR may be required to consider parish boundaries and numbers of Councillors. 

The council says it cannot undertake that review whilst the LGBCE review is ongoing as it could lead to inconsistencies and confusion that could jeopardise the implementation of both reviews. 

However, the council remains committed to reviewing all aspects of community governance at the earliest opportunity.

Residents are invited to respond to the consultation, which can be found at consult.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/ until 6 May 2025.

The Parish and Town Councils affected by the CGR proposal to hold all elections in 2027 and the year of their next scheduled elections are contained in the table below: