Kendal Town Council has welcomed the beginning of a consultation on 20mph speed limits in Oxenholme. Chair of KTC Environment Committee, Cllr Eamonn Hennessy said ‘this is the first part of bringing 20mph to all our Kendal communities – something our Council has been pushing for, for a long time. It’s better for air quality, safer for cyclists and children, and helps reduce the emissions that cause climate change.’ Westmorland and Furness Council are consulting on the introduction of 20mph in the South Kendal village as a prelude to its introduction across the rest of the town. 20mph speed limits | Westmorland and Furness Council
At their meeting on Monday 27 July, Town Councillors voted to add another £5,000 to the grant offered to Kendal Torchlight to ensure its dedicated band of volunteers can keep this iconic Carnival on the road. The Council agreed funding of £10,000 in total to the Torchlight Festival , which will take place on Saturday 28th September.
Please note there will be no meeting of the Allotments Committee on Monday 24 June. A new date in July for this meeting will be arranged as soon as possible.
Kendal Town Councillors were briefed tonight by Westmorland and Furness Council highways engineers about the imminent emergency closure of the two road bridges across the Kendal Bypass. The closure of the Underbarrow and Brigsteer road bridges will separate the town from Scout Scar and the Lake District National Park to the west. It will also cut off those communities to the west of Kendal from the services of the town. The diversions are expected to be in excess of 8 miles, and to be in place for a considerable period. The problem lies in the construction method used in the bridges, which date back to when the town was first bypassed in the early 1970s. More information about the closures can be found at Kendal bridges to close from Wednesday for precautionary safety assessments | Westmorland and Furness Council.
Westmorland & Furness Council have produced an updated version of the Biodiversity Toolkit for residents. Biodiversity in the community May 2024
Cllr Jonathan Cornthwaite (Mintsfeet Ward) was installed as the new Mayor of Kendal at the Town’s Mayor Making Ceremony on Thursday (16 May). Cllr Cornthwaite had been elected to the post 10 days previously at the Town Council’s Annual Meeting. The Ceremony saw him sign the official Declaration of Acceptance of Office and don the red robes, taking over the post from Cllr Julia Dunlop who held the post from 2023-24. Cllr Richard Sutton was installed as Deputy Mayor. Cllr Cornthwaite is the 276th individual to hold the office, which dates back to the Charter of Charles I.
It’s time to nominate for the Wainwright Achievement Award 2023-24!
Every year the Council makes an award to the individual or organisation that it feels has made an outstanding contribution to the life and people of our town. The Award has its origins in a bequest from one of our most famous adopted sons, the legendary guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright, who worked in Kendal Town Hall from 1941 to 1967. You can nominate a recipient for the award. All you need to do is complete the Nomination Form below and send it to office@kendaltowncouncil.gov.uk. The nominations are considered by Town Councillors, as trustees of the bequest, and the award will be presented at the annual Mayor Making ceremony on 16 May. The closing date for nominations is 10am Wednesday 3 April, 2024.
Wainwright Nomination Form 2023-24
Kendal Town Councillors approved a budget on Monday night which will add 11p per week to average council tax bills in the Cumbrian town. The uplift will help the council to unlock the potential of a further £170,000 in Community Infrastructure Levy, which will include an additional £50,000 on improving footpaths and £50,000 on improving the street scene and signposting from the town’s transport hubs. £66,000 will be available for Community and Festival grants and £30,000 will be available to ensure the town’s popular floral displays are resilient as well as vibrant. The festive lighting display from November through to Christmas will also benefit from a £30,000 uplift in investment.
Mayor of Kendal, Cllr Julia Dunlop said ‘this budget reflects the council’s priorities. We want Kendal to be a vibrant place, which residents and visitors find easy to navigate, and a pleasure to linger. This budget builds on our campaigning approach to the challenges of climate change, and will ensure that the Council will continue to deliver projects which improve the lives of all Kendalians.’
The Council will continue and expand its support for Kendal Futures, one of the key partners in developing a vision for the town. Cllr Stephen Coleman, who chairs the Council’s Management Committee added, ‘everyone recognises that these are challenging times. This is a budget to deliver real changes that our residents will start to notice.’
The total budget agreed was £867,500, of which £636,157 will be collected from the Council Tax in Kendal from 1 April with remainder from Community infrastructure levy, external grants and rental income.
We’re looking for a new Deputy Town Clerk. Follow the links to get the details.https://www.kendaltowncouncil.gov.uk/your-council/work-for-us/
Kendal Town Council has allocated funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to support the priorities set out in its Council Plan. Following its groundbreaking Citizen’s Jury on Climate Change in 2020, the Council undertook to implement a range of measures that would help address the problems of a changing climate. ‘We want our town to be a lovely place to live, work and visit, but we also aspire to net zero carbon emissions’, explained Cllr Stephen Coleman, who chairs the Council’s Management Committee. ‘This CIL-funding has enabled us to make small, but real investments in improving the way people move around the town, without using cars. We’re hoping our lead will be followed by others who can make bigger investments.’
At a meeting of the Council’s Management Committee, £50,000 from the levy was allocated to improving footpaths in Kendal, and a further £50,000 to improve the town’s bus station, signage and cycle storage. £35,000 was allocated towards helping Westmorland and Furness Council develop a pump track at the park in Sandylands and £30,000 was allocated to support the work of Kendal Futures in implementing the Kendal Vision for town centre improvements.
The Town Council receives 15% of the Community Infrastructure Levy charged on new development in Kendal. The rest is allocated to Westmorland and Furness Council to help offset the longer term impacts of development on the local community. Since the levy was introduced in 2016, Kendal Town Council has allocated over £240,000 to support investment in the town’s infrastructure, including the replacement of handrails, railings and other street furniture, the expansion of Canal Head allotments, the implementation of a 20mph speed limit on the town’s streets, and the improvement of the town’s historic yards. This funding comes on top of the government’s recent decision to allocate ‘Levelling-up’ funding to Kendal’s Market Place improvements, for which the Town Council had invested a £5,000 contribution to the development plan.
Mayor of Kendal Cllr Julia Dunlop said, ‘Using the CIL takes some of the burden of investment off hard-pressed council tax payers in Kendal. We aim to make lasting improvements which will benefit residents and visitors alike’.
