COUNCILLORS will be asked to approve that the county council’s chief executive also takes on the responsibilities of another “important statutory role.”

Cumbria County Council is set to meet at County Hall in Kendal on Thursday June 23.

And councillors will be asked to approve the recommendation that John Metcalfe, chief executive officer also takes on the responsibilities of returning officer.

County councils are required to appoint one of their staff as returning officer for elections under the Representation of the People Act 1981.

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The responsibility usually falls to the executive director of corporate, customer and community services but the current post holder left Cumbria County Council on June 24, 2022.

The council’s chief officer’s committee removed the role of returning officer from the officer’s responsibilities at a meeting on May 25.

A report, which will be presented by leader of the council Stewart Young, will set out the options for councillors.

The report read: "it is imperative that clarity is provided around the role" due to the potential for an election, following the recent resignation of a council member.

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Option 1, should councillors chose to accept it, would be to give the extra responsibility to the chief executive.

Option 2, councillors could vote to appoint a different officer to the role.

But the leader’s report warns: “This may result in the statutory role being carried out by someone without any prior experience as a returning officer.”

The report also states that there are no financial implications to the decision “as there is no change in the grading of the chief executive post being proposed.”

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