The District

South Lakeland is the largest populated district in the county of Cumbria with 79 parishes and the District Council works closely with Cumbria County Council and the parishes. Large parts of the District fall within the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks and the Arnside/Silverdale Area of Outstanding National Beauty, embracing a wide variety of landscapes and spectacular scenery. The district also has a strong cultural tradition which is a major strength and attraction to many visitors.

 

South Lakeland has good transport access to the north and south by the M6 and West Coast railway line. The area is within relatively short distance from Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds. Visitors substantially increase the resident population throughout the year. The principal centres of population are Kendal, where the Council's main office is located, Ulverston, Windermere and Grange-over-Sands.

 

The economy is relatively healthy with an overall unemployment rate of 2.0%. However, this is likely to increase with recent announcements of redundancies in the shoe manufacturing and insurance sectors in particular. Whilst unemployment is very low in Windermere the rate in Ulverston is higher at 3.4%.

 

Although the area generally offers a good quality of life there are those with difficulties due to the low average wage rates. This is particularly the case in terms of access to the housing market. Local people find it increasingly difficult to compete for housing faced with a strong retirement and holiday market.

 

Many of the problems of the area relate to its rurality. The sparsity of the population impacts on the cost of providing services to remote areas and makes it difficult for some people to access services.