Cumbria Combined Authority – Page 2 – thecumbriachronic.co.uk

CRUMBRIA: 22/02/2026

FAIR play to Gareth Cavanagh, one of the few Churnalists on the News & Shrug newspaper, Carlisle, still bothering to ask questions of officialdom.

Gareth has managed what no other reporter in Cumbria has so far attempted.

He’s revealed how much public money is to be paid to the interim Chief Executive of the new Cumbria Combined Authority, the newest, shiniest toy of local Government here.

The authority is the costly new bureaucracy that will be constructed ahead of Cumbria’s incoming Mayor before his/her election next year.

Its new chief exec, John Barradell, late of the City of London Corporation and Brighton & Hove Council, will trouser an eye-popping £155,000 a year.

That’s only £11,000 shy of the Prime Minister.

(Prepare for your Council Tax bills to rise in the years to come to pay for this lavish new wave of empire-building!)

The Chronic’s cartoon of John Barradell from last July.

Mr Barradell’s involvement in Devolution here was first revealed by the Chronic in July last year. None of the traditional media here wanted to know, as they were too busy saying how great Devolution was.

Mr Barradell was initially brought onboard as a Devolution Programme Director, a role that paid £88,000 plus a £10,000 “market supplement”.

Like all the other media here, Penrith weakly snoozepaper, the Slumberland & Westmoreland Imperilled has only just woken up to his existence.

Because they were told it in a Press Release!

Lazy News: The Slumberland & Westmoreland Imperilled this week!

The paper republished (above), word-for-word, the official press release from the Crumbria Combined Authority.

Mr Barradell’s appointment was described as “an important step forward”. Omitted was just how much this important step was going to cost the public purse.

Remember. 60% of the Cumbrian public told a consultation last year that they DON’T want a Mayor/Cumbria Combined Authority.

High-ranking elected Councillors on Crumberland Council and Wokemoreland & Farcical Council IGNORED that and decreed that we’re getting one.

Of course, the new Mayor and Cumbria Combined Authority creates tonnes of new opportunities for high-ranking local Councillors to sit around on their arses all day playing professional politician.

In other news, the new Spin Doctor job for the Cumbria Combined Authority has just gone to the highly-experienced Essex gal, Emily Woolfe.

She’s a former hackette at Cumbrian Newspapers, Carlisle, who returns norf from an editorial director’s job in Surrey.

She needn’t worry about facing tough questions from the local rags about her new organisation.

They can’t be bloody arsed asking any!

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PS: Check out the generous Spin Doctor salary below.