Cumbria Is Paying For Failure
From broken commitments to damaging policies, it is becoming evident that Labour's approach is more about rhetoric than results.
As Deputy Chair Political for Cumbria Conservatives, I believe calling out these failures and highlighting their real impact on our communities is essential. Labour’s campaign pledges have already been abandoned:
Pensioners have seen their winter fuel allowance stripped away, leaving many vulnerable as energy prices rise despite Labour’s assurances that they would fall.
Students, too, are bearing the brunt of broken promises. Keir Starmer’s pledge to abolish tuition fees has vanished, replaced by a cost hike that betrays young people who trusted his words.
Mortgage holders are now facing the consequences of rising GILT yields, which have reached levels not seen since the last Labour government, significantly increasing the cost of servicing the national debt by £12 million. This self-inflicted financial black hole is a direct result of Labour’s fiscal mismanagement under Rachel Reeves, whose policies lack both direction and discipline.
Rural communities are also under siege from the so-called “family farm tax,” which threatens to dismantle farms that have been passed down through generations. This tax undermines not only livelihoods but also the way of life that defines our region.
Businesses are similarly under attack, with Labour’s hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions—a “jobs tax”—and their damaging Workers’ Rights Bill poised to devastate Cumbria’s vital tourism and hospitality sectors.
- Labour’s duplicity is evident in their treatment of the WASPI women. During the election campaign, they promised compensation to those affected by state pension age changes, yet once in power, they abandoned this commitment entirely. Thousands of women who placed their faith in Labour have been left bitterly disappointed.
Keir Starmer’s bold claim that households would “not pay another penny” in Council Tax has proven as hollow as the rest of Labour’s promises. Westmorland and Furness (W&F) and the Cumberland Council are planning yet another maximum increase, just as they have done for the past two years.
This comes on top of the staggering £224 million debt left behind by Labour’s Cumbria County Council, while Westmorland and Furness are grappling with a comparable £190 million burden.
Together, taxpayers are paying nearly £4 million a month simply to service this debt. Key services, such as Adult and Children’s Social Care, remain in chaos, overspending by millions.
In Cumbria, we are left with more debt, poorer services, and the very real possibility of financial collapse.
For Labour, their governance—both locally and nationally—has been marked by broken promises, a lack of vision, and an inability to deliver for the people who trusted them.
As Deputy Chair Political for Cumbria Conservatives, I am committed to holding Labour accountable for its failures.
Cumbria deserves leadership that prioritises jobs, prosperity, and fairness, not excuses and incompetence.
Labour’s promises may have won them votes, but their actions are losing them trust. The people of Cumbria deserve better. It is time for change.
"Only a Conservative Mayor, focused on jobs, prosperity, and fairness, can begin to turn the tide for our county. Labour has had their chance, and Cumbria deserves better. It’s time to back us."
