Cumberland’s Labour MPs – Josh MacAlister, Julie Minns and Michelle Scrogham – have welcomed this week’s local government funding settlement, saying it marks a clear change of direction after more than a decade of Conservative austerity, while being honest that pressures on councils remain.
Under the settlement, Cumberland Council’s Core Spending Power will rise by 14 per cent across the Parliament – an increase of £46.6 million by 2028/29. Core Spending Power is the standard measure used by government to assess councils’ overall funding and provides greater stability through a multi-year settlement rather than the year-to-year uncertainty councils have faced for more than a decade.
From 2026/27, Cumberland will also benefit from the Fair Funding reset, which updates how funding is distributed so it better reflects deprivation, rural delivery costs and social care pressures. While the Fair Funding Allocation itself tapers over time as temporary protections are unwound, overall spending power for the council continues to rise year on year.
Both within and in addition to the core funding settlement, Cumberland will see significant increases in funding for the services residents care most about, including roads and transport, family support, schools, homelessness prevention and neighbourhood renewal.
Major investments include:
- Nearly £100 million to improve local roads over the next few years, with a big boost to the council’s highways budget from 2026 to 2029.
- Almost £70 million for other local transport improvements, including £40 million through the Local Transport Grant, £23 million for bus services and £4.5 million for active travel – supporting better buses, safer roads, new crossings and improved walking and cycling routes.
- More than £10 million for homelessness prevention between 2025 and 2029, helping the council intervene earlier and reduce long-term pressures.
- £5 million for Cumberland through the Families First programme, supporting early help to keep families together and multi-agency child protection teams to keep children safe.
- Increased funding for schools and SEND, with school funding rising nationally by £4.7 billion a year by 2028/29 and £3 billion of capital funding announced to expand specialist provision, from which Cumberland will benefit.
- £60 million over ten years through the Pride in Place programme for some of the poorest neighbourhoods in Carlisle, Maryport/Flimby and south Whitehaven, providing long-term, transformational investment in local communities.
Statements from Cumberland’s Labour MPs
Josh MacAlister MP said:
“This settlement doesn’t pretend that everything lost under the Conservatives can be fixed overnight, but it does mark a real change of direction. After years of cuts and uncertainty, Cumberland now has a fairer funding baseline and multi-year certainty. That gives the council a stronger platform to invest in the services people rely on. The focus now must be on using the increased funding and greater stability to deliver visible improvements for residents.”
Julie Minns MP said:
“For years, councils like ours were short-changed by a system that ignored deprivation and the extra costs of delivering services in large, rural areas. The Fair Funding reset is a step towards putting that right, and overall spending power will continue to rise year on year. Major investment in roads, buses and neighbourhoods means real improvements people will be able to see locally, but there is more to do to make sure funding truly matches need”
Michelle Scrogham MP said:
“What matters to residents is whether services improve – safer roads, better buses and stronger support for families and schools. This settlement, alongside targeted investment in transport, homelessness prevention and children’s services, starts to deliver that. It’s a more honest, stable and fair approach than the chaos councils were left with under the Conservatives. I know it isn’t an overnight fix, and as local MPs we will always be fighting for more to redress the damage that years of austerity have caused.”
The MPs stressed that, as with councils across England, the headline spending power figures assume use of the council tax flexibility available under national rules, and that decisions about council tax remain a matter for local councillors.
Josh MacAlister MP 