Kirby Lecture 2026: What will a Mayor mean for Cumbria?

Our 2026 Kirby Lecture looks at what a Cumbrian Mayor might mean for the county and the National Park.

Friday 27 November 2026. 7pm – 9pm.

What’s at stake in the election of a Mayor for Cumbria next May?

The 2027 Cumbria mayoral election is due to be held on 6 May 2027, to elect the first mayor of Cumbria who will lead the Cumbria Combined Authority.

Our annual Kirby Lecture 2026 will attempt to provide information on the scope and powers of the mayor. It will also give a platform to landscape, social and environmental groups to talk about what they want to see from whoever is elected to the role in 2027.

The evening will open with an address from Thomas Andrew, Acting Director of Policy and Strategy for the Cumbria Combined Authority. Thomas will outline what a combined authority is, what remit it has, and what will be different for Cumbria by having a combined authority and a mayor.

Following this introduction, there will be a panel discussion about what different organisations would like to see a new mayor deliver for Cumbria. The panel will also be taking questions from the audience.

The Kirby Lecture panel

Lorrainne Smyth. Lorrainne is CEO of ACTion with Communities in Cumbria, the community development and rural charity for Cumbria. Lorrainne has lived in the Kendal area for nearly 40 years and worked with rural Cumbrian communities over that time.

Karen Mitchell. Karen has been CEO of Futureproof Cumbria for nearly seven years and has worked in the environmental sector for most of her career – starting out as a European nature and agriculture policy analyst and then working closer to home for Natural England.

Stephen Trotter. Stephen is the CEO of Cumbria Wildlife Trust. A passionate life-long naturalist, Steve is a Chartered Environmentalist and Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.

Colin Walker. Colin started his role as CEO of Friends of the Lake District in September this year. He previously worked for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, where he was responsible for their transport policy. He has over twenty years’ experience working in policy and campaigning at several organisations, including Save the Children, Mind and War Child UK.

The evening will be chaired by Tiffany Hunt MBE. Tiffany worked for the National Trust for 28 years and was successively the director of the Northumbria, Yorkshire and North West Regions. She currently undertakes a variety of non-executive and voluntary roles, including sitting on the Lake District National Park Authority Board (which she chaired between 2022 and 2026).

Be sure to join us for what will be a fascinating and informative evening.

Read our blog One year to go: a Blueprint for Cumbria’s first Mayor.

Getting to the Kirby Lecture

This year’s event will take place at the Ambleside Parish Centre, Vicarage Rd, Ambleside LA22 9DH

Please note there is very limited parking at the venue so use one of Ambleside’s many public car parks if possible or, even better, come via public transport. There are regular bus services serving the town – visit the Stagecoach website for details – Ambleside Buses – Explore the area with Stagecoach.

Car parks: Miller Bridge car park LA22 0EE Rydal Road car park LA22 9AY Lake Road car park LA22 0DB

The venue is fully accessible and there is a hearing loop available.