Two hundred and twenty-two thousand (222,000) people in the North West working on the National Living Wage received a 5 per cent pay rise today, worth an extra £690 over the course of the year, in the biggest pay rise for low paid workers in 20 years. From 1 April,…
Detailed plans for a new roundabout on the A590 at Gilpin Bridge are expected to go to public consultation later this year after district and county councillors met Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to lobby for the long-called-for scheme. The group of local councillors have been working with Highways England to…
Councillor James Airey has criticised Cumbria County Council’s decision to suspend the Windermere Ferry service for three weeks in March for a refit and inspection just five months after the service was re-started following an engine fire. Councillor James Airey said: “This is a regular refit and inspection which should…
New figures show that thousands of people in Westmorland and Lonsdale are now enrolled in a workplace pension. Westmorland and Lonsdale’s Conservative parliamentary candidate, councillor James Airey, has welcomed the latest figures showing that, due to changes to workplace pensions, 11,000 more people in the constituency are now saving for…
Cumbria County Council is being called on to hold a special conference to discuss and agree measures to provide more opportunities for the majority of Cumbrian university graduates who never return to the county after completing their higher education studies. The conference is the idea of councillor James Airey, the…
News that the Conservative Government is introducing a brand-new railcard, which will halve all rail fares for 16 and 17-year-olds in South Lakeland has been welcomed by councillor James Airey, the Conservative group leader on Cumbria County Council The railcard will give 16-17 year olds 50 per cent off all…
A leading South Lakes councillor is urging the public to have their say on plans to defend places like Sandside from coastal flooding over the next century. Cumbria County Council’s consultation on a new strategy to combat coastal flooding from Arnside to the Scottish Border ends on 14 December and…
A survey carried out by South Lakes councillor James Airey has shown support for the idea of levying a charge on Appleby Horse Fairgoers to offset the cost to the county’s public services from managing the event each year. Of the 372 people who took part, 63 per cent said…
The leader of the Conservative group on Cumbria County Council has pledged to resist plans to introduce on-street parking charges in the county. Councillor James Airey’s pledge follows news that the local authority is discussing plans to introduce charging four years after similar proposals were thrown out. A petition has…
South Lakes councillor James Airey has welcomed new measures announced in the Budget, including more money for health and social care. The Budget set out the Government’s plans to deliver extra money for schools, make more money available to local councils to tackle potholes, and new funding to help rejuvenate…