Cumbria Mayoral Election Set to Test Reform, Labour and Lib Dem Support
Cumbria’s first mayoral election is due to take place in May 2027, setting up what could become one of the county’s most closely watched political contests.
The election will choose the first directly elected Mayor for the new Cumbria Combined Authority. The new mayor-led authority is expected to cover both Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland. Bringing together the two council areas under one strategic body. Westmorland and Furness Council says the new authority will operate for a year without a mayor before the first mayoral election takes place in May 2027.
The vote will come at the same time as scheduled elections for Westmorland and Furness Council, Cumberland Council, and parish and town councils. Westmorland and Furness Council has confirmed there are no scheduled elections in May 2026, with the next main local elections due in May 2027.
What will the new mayor do?
The new Cumbria mayor will not replace the two existing councils.
Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumberland Council will continue to deliver most day-to-day local services. The mayor and combined authority will instead focus on wider strategic issues across Cumbria.
These are expected to include transport, local infrastructure, skills, employment support, housing, strategic planning, economic development, regeneration, environment, climate change, health, wellbeing and public service reform. The combined authority is also expected to have access to a Cumbrian Mayoral Investment Fund worth £333 million over 30 years.
That makes the election important. The mayor will have a role in shaping long term decisions across the county, from jobs and housing to transport and investment.
Why Reform UK will be watched closely
One of the big questions is whether Reform UK can continue its recent rise.
Across parts of England, Reform has gained support in areas where Labour and the Conservatives have traditionally been stronger. In Tameside’s 2026 local elections, Reform won 18 seats with 42% of the vote, while Labour won one seat with 24%.
Cumbria also has areas where voters have shifted between parties in recent years. At the 2024 general election, Labour won four of Cumbria’s five parliamentary seats, while the Liberal Democrats held Westmorland and Lonsdale through Tim Farron.
For Reform, the mayoral election could be a chance to show whether recent national momentum can be turned into county wide support.
Labour still has strong ground
Labour will also be a major party to watch.
The party currently holds most of Cumbria’s Westminster seats after its strong 2024 general election performance in the county. Labour victories in Barrow and Furness, Carlisle, Penrith and Solway, and Workington and Whitehaven gave the party a strong parliamentary base across much of Cumbria.
However, a mayoral election is different from a general election. Voters may judge candidates on local profile, county-wide priorities and trust in their ability to deliver for Cumbria. Rather than simply voting along national party lines.
Labour’s challenge will be to turn its parliamentary strength into support across the whole mayoral area, including places where the Liberal Democrats are strong locally and where Reform may try to attract voters who feel frustrated with the main parties.
Lib Dems hope local strength can count
The Liberal Democrats are also likely to see the race as a major opportunity.
Westmorland and Furness has been a key area of Lib Dem strength, and Tim Farron remains the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale. The party has already selected Libby Bateman as its candidate for the Cumbria mayoral election, which is expected in May 2027. She lives near Kirkby Stephen and has previously served as a Cumbria County Council member.
The Lib Dem argument is likely to focus on local knowledge, rural communities and the need for a mayor who understands Cumbria’s different areas. That could appeal in parts of Westmorland and Furness, but the party will also need to show it can build support across the whole county, including Cumberland.
A race shaped by local issues
Although national politics will influence the election, local issues are likely to matter.
The new mayor will have a say in major questions affecting Cumbria, including transport links, housing, skills, regeneration, public services, and how investment is shared between different towns and rural areas.
Voters may want to know how each candidate would support places such as Barrow, Kendal, Carlisle, Penrith, Workington, Whitehaven, Ulverston, Windermere and smaller rural communities.
The county is large and varied, so the winning candidate will need to appeal beyond one political stronghold.
No clear outcome yet
At this stage, it is too early to say whether Reform will continue to gain ground, whether Labour will convert its Westminster strength into a mayoral win, or whether the Liberal Democrats can use their local base to come through strongly.
There is also no county-wide mayoral polling yet to give a reliable picture of voter intentions.
What is clear is that the first Cumbria mayoral election will be more than a routine local vote. It will test how much Cumbria’s political mood has changed, how strong Reform’s support really is, whether Labour can hold its county-wide gains, and whether the Liberal Democrats can turn local recognition into victory across the whole of Cumbria.
