Welcome to Westmorland and Furness

Services

Benefits and financial help

Housing Benefit, Universal Credit, Discretionary Housing Payments, Council Tax reduction and how to let us know about a change of circumstances.

Bins, recycling and street cleaning

Report missed bins and find recycling centres. Includes information on bin collections, recycling, street cleaning, business and commercial waste. How to dispose of hazardous waste.

Births, deaths and marriages

Register births, marriages, deaths and stillbirths. Information about civil partnerships and ceremonies, births, registration certificates, approved wedding premises licences.

Business and licensing

Includes information about business rates, business support, food businesses, health and safety, licensing, markets and Trading Standards.

Council Tax

Pay council tax, who needs to pay, how your Council Tax is calculated, how to apply for a discount or an exemption and Council Tax for second homes and empty homes.

Adult social care, care services, children and families, public health, adoption, fostering, cost of living, care leavers, adult safeguarding, safeguarding children.

Housing

Homelessness, affordable housing, council housing and leaseholders, housing support and grants, private tenants, private landlords, empty homes and community-led housing.

Libraries and archives

Find and join a library, borrow and reserve books, research local studies and online resources in Westmorland and Furness libraries.

Parking, streets and transport

Report issues and find information on roads, pavements, and parking in our area. Information on bus services and community travel schemes.

Parks, culture and leisure

Parks, gardens, trees and countryside, leisure and sports facilities, museums and galleries, what's on and events.

Planning and building control

Find planning applications and how to make a planning application. Information on building control, conservation, minerals and waste planning and local land charges.

Schools and education

School term dates, school places, early help, free school meals, school transport, courses for adults.

Voting and elections

Includes voting, elections, electoral registration and election results.

Your council

Includes information on councillors, meetings, agendas, councillors, committees, finances, job vacancies and consultations.

Your environment

Includes nuisances, pests, dogs, climate change, emergency planning, and private water supplies. Information about area locality boards and community safety, funding and assets.

A landlord has been fined for multiple breaches of the law controlling houses in multiple occupation, after a HMO in Barrow was found to have no internal fire doors, an inadequate fire alarm system, and with no safety checks having been done. The premises was also not licensed as an HMO. Council officers found significant breaches of the HMO Management Regulations in the property in Barrow town centre. These included a lack of internal fire doors, a totally inadequate fire alarm system, and no compliance safety checks being done. There was also no HMO licence in place for the property.

2 November 2026