Frank report highlights Carlisle strengths - but doesn't shy away from our challenges
I HAD the pleasure of reading the Carlisle: Opportunities & Challenges 2025 report this week, which was prepared by Cumbria Community Foundation.
The report provides a rich and honest snapshot of our city and surrounding rural areas by combining up-to-date statistics with the real voices of hundreds of local residents, young people, community leaders and professionals.
The report, which was a year in the making, reflects what makes Carlisle special: our deep-rooted sense of community, amazing cultural heritage, stunning natural surroundings and truly hard-working people.
It highlights our growing strengths: a diverse local economy, major investments in regeneration projects like the Citadel redevelopment, and an ambitious education sector that includes a new university campus and the forthcoming School of Medicine.
The report also celebrates the vital role played by our diverse local charities, youth services and volunteers, who help people thrive every day, even in the most difficult circumstances.
But at the same time, it doesn't shy away from Carlisle's challenges.
It reveals rising poverty, growing mental health pressures, and inequalities in health and opportunity. For example, life expectancy varies dramatically between neighbourhoods – something I raised in a parliamentary debate just a few weeks ago.
For many in our community, the rising cost of living, combined with low pay and limited job opportunities, is a daily reality. Our super ageing population, with 25 per cent of residents over 65 and 12 per cent over 75, means we must think carefully about how we support healthy ageing and ensure services keep pace.
Alongside this, risk of flooding and pressure on our already-stretched community organisations continue to be a cause for concern.
Many of the issues raised, from mental health and poverty to youth provision and job opportunities, are the same ones I hear about from residents every week. On one hand, it's reassuring to know my team and I are focused on the right priorities. On the other, it's a powerful reminder of just how much work still lies ahead. It feels like an opportune moment to remind you that if there's an issue you think I can help with, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
My heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this report and helped showcase both the strengths and the needs of our great city and surrounding rural areas. It will be an invaluable resource for me and my team in the years ahead.
In Carlisle, we are privileged to have a place that is brimming with potential yet facing complex challenges. But as the voices in this report make clear, Carlisle has both the will and the imagination to meet them head-on.
And as someone who was born here and still calls it home, I couldn't agree more.
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