Friends of the Lake District publish ‘Blueprint for Cumbria’s first Mayor’

One year before the election of the first mayor of Cumbria, Friends of the Lake District has published a Blueprint for the New Mayor, outlining the issues that the mayor should prioritise and the policies that it wants to see the mayor adopt.

A mayoral election for the new Cumbria Combined Authority will be held in May 2027. This body (and the mayor) will be able to access devolved government funding and powers.

The government has described Mayoral Authority Strategic Funding as: ‘giving locally elected strategic leaders the powers and funding they need to deliver jobs, new homes, and new transport.’

The North East, Tees Valley and North Yorkshire, among other regions, already have elected mayors, as have many metropolitan areas in England.

In our Blueprint, we’re calling on all mayoral candidates to commit to:

• A transformational approach to improving public transport and reducing traffic congestion.
• Housing that prioritises local people, not visitors.
• A clear plan to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.
• A visitor levy for Cumbria to mitigate the impacts of tourism.
• A new model of regenerative tourism.
• Protecting Cumbria’s landscape by setting goals for, and giving equivalent importance to, the natural environment and community alongside economic growth.
• Recognising the role of the landscape and environment of the county to improving the health and wellbeing of Cumbria’s population.

For Michael Hill, CEO of Friends of the Lake District, “The election of a new mayor is a huge opportunity for Cumbria – if the mayor recognizes the importance of the county’s landscape for communities, businesses and the health and wellbeing of residents.

“We want a mayor that is squarely focused on protecting the county’s landscape, by changing how we do tourism, committing to a step-change in public transport and embedding green infrastructure, carbon reduction and landscape resilience into an overarching Spatial Development Strategy. With the right focus, the new mayor can help the county’s landscapes thrive to the benefit of Cumbrian residents and nature”.

Read the full Blueprint for Cumbria’s first Mayor here.