The Working Group writes to Westmorland and Furness Council — and the Council misses its legal deadline
23 May 2026 · Alston Moor Parish Council
The Grisedale Croft Working Group has sent a detailed formal letter to Councillor Patricia Bell, Cabinet Portfolio Holder and Ms Nikkie Phipps, Assistant Director of Care Services, setting out the community's full position on the consultation now under way.
The letter draws on the Freedom of Information programme, the documentary record of the 2017–18 settlement, and the legal framework that governs consultations of this kind. It sets out six specific things the Working Group is asking the Council to do before the consultation closes — including pausing to conduct a joint review with NHS partners, publishing the Equality Impact Assessment, and confirming in writing that any replacement provision will be in Alston itself.
On 23 May, Westmorland and Furness Council failed to meet its statutory 20-working-day deadline to release four FOI responses that go directly to the evidence base for closure. The Parish Council has given the Council five working days to respond before referring the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office.
