BOOK NOW | Cumbria Development Update
Meet the candidates vying to become the county’s first mayor at this annual event, which provides attendees with the must-know information they need to spot opportunities and do business in Carlisle, Barrow, the Lake District National Park, and more.
On Thursday 18 June, Cumbria Development Update will examine what makes the area’s £12bn economy tick and how its local authorities plan to enable delivery of the homes required to house the more than 27,000 people they hope to add to the workforce by 2045.
Companies already registered to attend
Environment Agency, Holker, Hive Land, Homes England, South Lakes Housing, WSP, BWB, GReen Piling, Lixington, Influential, Bond Bryan, Ridge, Planit, MWT Planning, Eric Wright Group, K2 Architects, Make NW, SES, Waterman, DLA Architecture.
There will be a mix of presentations and panel sessions, offering you a detailed picture of doing business in Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness – the opportunities, the challenges, and the solutions.
Cumbria Development Update will also provide a chance to connect with the potential future Mayor of Cumbria, bringing together three mayoral candidates for a first hustings.
The half-day conference will also feature a deep dive into Barrow-in-Furness, the town backed with £220m from the government and support from defence giant BAE Systems.
With the most Michelin-starred restaurants outside of London, two UNESCO Heritage Sites, and unparalleled natural landscapes, it is no surprise that Cumbria brings in more than 42m visitors every year.
Add its tourism potential to the fact it’s the country’s leader in nuclear expertise, the home to a vibrant green energy and carbon capture storage economy, a power player in the world of defence, and an emerging – and its clear that the county has all the ingredients to be a fantastic place to live, work, play… and invest.
If you are on the hunt for the next great residential, industrial, or green energy opportunity – this is a conference that you will not want to miss.
Cumbria Development Update will be held from 8am to noon on 18 June at the Castle Green Hotel in Kendal. The event is sponsored by Caddick, Curtins, LUC, and Muse.
Confirmed speakers so far
Mike Starkie is the mayoral candidate for the Conservative Party. The former Mayor of Copeland turned a £13.2m inherited overspend into a surplus during the eight years he was in office. He has been a fierce advocate for devolution in Cumbria and grew up in the area. He worked in construction for a decade before spending 32 years in the financial services sector.
David Allen is the mayoral candidate for the Labour Party. The current police, fire, and crime commissioner for Cumbria, Allen has said that as Mayor he would build safer communities, create economic opportunity for all, strengthen the area’s world-class nuclear and defence industries, and improve transport connections across the county.
Libby Bateman is the mayoral candidate for the Liberal Democrats. Bateman has years of experience of working alongside Cumbrian communities to find solutions to problems; driving change on issues such as digital connectivity, countryside access, rural crime, housing, and public transport. As a former Cumbria County Councillor and current board member of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, she has a wide range of experience of working across local government, ensuring public money is well spent on vital infrastructure and services.
John Barradell is interim chief executive of the newly created Cumbria Combined Authority. Based in Carlisle, he is passionate about ensuring Cumbria’s voice is heard and championing a part of the UK he believes is too often overlooked by national decision‑makers. Barraddell brings decades of senior leadership experience, including serving as chief executive of the City of London Corporation and Brighton & Hove City Council. He has also led major national resilience efforts, including the government’s Grenfell Recovery Taskforce and the London Strategic Group during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Miranda Cannon is the chief executive of Westmorland and Furness Council. As chief executive, she leads one of England’s largest geographic unitary councils, responsible for diverse rural, coastal and urban communities across a vast and distinctive landscape. She brings more than 25 years’ senior leadership experience across large unitary authorities, national audit, and consultancy and major transformation programmes.
Laura Percy is a development director at Muse. Renowned for leading complex public-private partnerships, she brings deep expertise in creating long-term value through design-led, commercially robust, and socially impactful places. Before joining Muse in 2025, Laura was senior development director at Landsec, where she led transformative schemes across the North West including the £1.7bn Mayfield regeneration and the acquisition of MediaCityUK.
Angela Jones is the director of thriving places at Westmorland and Furness Council. Jones is leading the council’s regeneration programmes in Barrow. She has worked in a mixture of unitary and county councils across the North West and Wales and has senior leadership experience across place-based services. She has significant experience of leading and managing frontline services and complex multi-disciplinary teams, with a robust track record in developing and maintaining strong working relationships with staff, members and external stakeholders. Jones is also the president of the Association of Environment, Economy, Planning, and Transport.
Cllr Jonathan Brook is the Leader of Westmorland and Furness Council. First elected as a councillor in 2006, Brook has had various council roles since then, including as Leader of South Lakeland District Council, a member of the Lake District National Park Authority, Kendal Town Council and as the former Mayor of Kendal. He is currently a board member of Team Barrow the Brilliant Barrow Board, Kendal Futures, Cumbria Tourism, North West Employers, the Borderlands Board and the District Councils Network.
Jim Perks, operations director, Team Barrow. Perks joined BAE Systems Submarines as head of future workforce strategy in November 2022 having completed a 39-year career in the Royal Navy. Joining the Royal Navy in 1984, he became a Submariner and rose through the ranks from Junior Rating to Commodore. He was Commanding Officer of HMS Sceptre, “Teacher” of the Submarine Command Course “Perisher” and completed his career as Head of the Submarine Service. Perks has recently been seconded to Team Barrow as operations director. He is President of the Submariners Association, patron of HMS OARDACIOUS, patron of Military vs Cancer and a Trustee of the Cumbria Community Foundation.
