Working together for a better future for Cumbria and beyond

Two of the partnership’s greatest strengths are its diversity and that it is community led. There are representatives from many different walks of life including organisations and businesses within the public sector, private sector, voluntary sector, and our community.

The Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership is currently chaired by:

Karen Mitchell (Chief Executive at Cumbria Action for Sustainability)
David F Murphy (Associate Professor of Sustainability & Collaborative Leadership and Academic Lead of the Initiative for Leadership & Sustainability, University of Cumbria)

Tim Gale is the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership Manager, based at Cumberland Council.

Strategic Oversight Board

The partnership is steered by its Strategic Oversight Board, which provides strategic leadership and supports the delivery of the mission, planning and actions of partnership to reach net zero by 2037.
The terms of reference can be found here: ZCCP SOB Terms of Reference

Board chair: Steve Curl, independent

Board support: Tim Gale, Partnership Manager and Anna Templeton, Zero Carbon Cumbria Administrator

Graham Frost

Headteacher at Robert Ferguson School & NAHT

Sue Walley

Cumbria Sustainability Network

Hazel Graham

Carbon Literacy lead at Cumbria Action for Sustainability

Gill Haigh

Chief executive at Cumbria Tourism

Richard Leafe

Chief executive at Lake District National Park Authority

Karen Mitchell

Partnership co-chair and Cumbria Action for Sustainability

David F Murphy

Partnership co-chair and University of Cumbria

Giles Archibald

Councillor, Westmorland and Furness

Bob Kelly

Councillor, Cumberland

Colin Cox

Director of Public Health and Communities

Role of the board:

The board supports the full partnership via the co-chairs and the sector working group chairs by:

Ensuring that the overall strategic direction of the partnership's activities and its analysis, plans, actions and monitoring of progress are delivered and remain on track and in line with delivering the partnership’s vision.
Reviewing the activities of sector groups and other key initiatives, commissioning, directing and supporting them where necessary, including agreeing milestones and monitoring progress.
Ensuring that targets and progress for carbon and greenhouse gas reduction can be consolidated to give overall measures for Cumbria and its constituent parts.
Working to support funding, resourcing and growing the partnership.
Supporting cooperation and networking across Cumbria with community groups, organisations, local government and businesses.
Being transparent to the full partnership on its activities.
Ensuring good governance for the partnership as a whole.