This letter was sent to Steve Reed on the 21st October 2025.
Dear Secretary of State,
Request to proceed with Cumbria Mayoral Election as originally planned in May 2026
I am writing as the Conservative candidate for the Cumbrian Mayoral election, on behalf of the residents and businesses of Cumbria, to request that the Mayoral election for Cumbria is reinstated to the original date of May 2026.
This is to avoid the untenable situation of the new Mayoral Combined Authority operating for 15 months without a Mayor, instead being temporarily led by councillors with no electoral mandate to run that authority.
I have attached two letters – one from Cumbria conservatives that previously made this same request, and the second a joint letter from the Labour leader of Cumberland Council and the Liberal Democrat leader of Westmorland & Furness Council, which requested an unnecessary - and clearly politically motivated - request for the delay to 2027.
Both letters were sent to Minister Jim McMahon. The response to the council leaders, granting their request for a delay, was the quickest I have known in all my time in local government.
In contrast the letter from the Conservatives opposing this change, and detailing why it should not have been granted, did not get the courtesy of a reply.
The notion that delaying the election until 2027 will save money is deeply impractical. Instead, the Combined Authority will be staffed with expensive interims and will make decisions that could potentially waste hundreds of thousands of pounds.
A new Mayor arriving twelve months later, whoever it is, is very likely to unravel them to implement the manifesto upon which they will have been elected.
In terms of council resource, if they consult with their election officers, I am certain they would be told that spreading elections - Mayoral 2026, Councils 2027 and General Election 2028/29 is far more efficient, and much better for their workload than trying to hold Mayoral, Unitary and Parish all on the same day.
The public consultation on a Cumbrian Mayoral Combined Authority had a very negative response, with the majority opposed. The reason for opposition is largely down to a lack of understanding and obvious confusion, resulting from a lack of clarity and poor communication.
The lack of understanding extends to many councillors who, as a result of their ignorance, have spent the last decade talking down devolution, despite the obvious benefits now being realised across those areas of the country who moved first.
Holding the mayoral election independently will allow for better public understanding, with candidate debates addressing all the points of concern and allowing residents to gain far deeper knowledge of the proposals, whereas holding the mayoral election in conjunction with council elections will potentially add to the confusion.
The reality is that the real reason for delaying this election is politically motivated. Labour and the Liberal Democrats fear Reform - who on today’s polling are runaway favourites to win the election. They are hoping gerrymandering the election date and voting system will work in their favour.
That is a clear case of putting party interests before the best interests of Cumbria, and its residents and businesses.
Our view is to take on Reform and all other parties and candidates, by offering a more compelling argument and a policy platform that serves the best interests of the electorate. That is the moral and democratic way to approach the election.
The deep irony is that had the election been led on the timescales proposed under the previous government – opposed then by your councillors - Labour would have been the favourites to win.
Despite that, I and my colleagues continued to advocate for the mayoral election because it is the right thing to do for Cumbria.
There is no good reason to delay the mayoral election, but many reasons it should go ahead as planned - not least a Mayoral Combined Authority should have a mayor from inception ensuring democratic accountability as has been the case with every one that has gone before.
As it stands the new mayor, of whichever political party, could be hamstrung from day one, having to spend time and public money unravelling decisions made by a Combined Authority Board with no electoral mandate, before they can even begin to deliver on their own commitments.
A delayed mayoral election could result in early failures for the new authority that plays right into the hands of those who have opposed it and tried to block progress in Cumbria for the last decade.
Cumbria has finally got to the position where it will have a Mayoral Combined Authority, and it is in the best interests of everybody that it succeeds. The chances of that happening are greatly enhanced by its elected leader taking charge at the earliest opportunity.
I urge you to reinstate the Cumbria Mayoral election to May 2026 to ensure the authority begins with a democratic mandate.
Yours Sincerely
Mike Starkie
Conservative Candidate for Mayor of Cumbria
