The Cumbria Chronic – thecumbriachronic.co.uk

CRUMBRIA: 23.7.2026

A JUICY £8,000 pay day is heading to the boss of Wokemoreland Clowncil for overseeing next year’s Mayoral election.

Miranda Cannon, chief exec of W&F, is being lined up for the special one-off fee for acting as returning officer for the countywide vote on May 6, 2027.

(Why isn’t this part of her day job?)

The council’s genius-in-chief already bags a base salary of £188,000-a-year before an annual employer pension contribution not unadjacent to £30,000.

The extra £8,000 will come from our latest taxpayer-funded bureaucracy: the Cumbria Combined Authority — a.k.a. the new Mayor’s Office.

Despite Crumbria not getting a Mayor until next May, it already has a boss slaving away in Penrith on up to £155,000 a year; a Spin Doctor on nearly £60,000; annual running costs of more than £11.2m; and a £3.7m staff wage bill.

More non-jobs ago-go for the rainbow lanyard class?

Devolution and Mayors are, of course, strongly supported by incoming Labour PM Andy Burnmoney — who was paid £110,000 a year as Mayor of Manchester.

In his nine years in Man-chest-hair, the Burnham surcharge on a Band D council tax bill soared from £8 to more than £61 — a 600% rise to keep his mayoral gravy train running.

That’s in addition to what Mancs already cough up for their district Council, local town or parish Council, and police and fire services.

Sick of your current Council Tax bill?

That’s a titty of the tough variety.

The incoming Mayor of Cumbria will have powers to HIKE your Council Tax bill even further. It’s not just a Labour invention, all the parties are at it.

The Chronic’s advice is to stock up on Ventolins.

That “breathing space” is about to get thinner.

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