Any chance that the old counties of Westmorland and Cumberland might be resurrected in a local government shake-up has been virtually ruled out by the Boundary Committee.

The committee did consider the option, which was proposed by several stakeholders during consultations, but said: "We noted there was some support for the revival of the historic areas of Westmorland and Cumberland as unitary authorities.

"The proposed North Cumbria and South Cumbria and Lancaster are variations on such proposals. We received little persuasive evidence that the existing districts in Cumbria should be divided in order to facilitate recreating historical patterns of local government."

The committee also dismissed an east/west split for Cumbria on the grounds that the resulting authorities would not have the capacity to deliver large-scale services, and said such a split would "compound problems of industrial decline and challenges for regeneration in each of these areas."