West Cumbria

Water fluoridation in West Cumbria was established by Cumberland County Council at Cornhow treatment works in 1968 and Ennerdale in 1971. The original agreements between the elected County Council and the original water companies have since passed through many bodies and companies but control over any current or proposed fluoridation scheme passed to Public Health England [in reality the Secretary of State for Health] in April 2013. 
Cumbria County Council are currently responsible for public health in the County and receive funding for water fluoridation. Water fluoridation as a supposed dental health benefit was introduced without any adequate research or clinical trials. The intent in using fluoride in water is to affect the body [teeth] therefore the intention is to medicate . Fluoride's introduction into water, is not equivalent to Chlorine which is used to treat water. 
Many areas in the UK were proposed for fluoridation schemes in the late 1960's but due to public resistance few succeeded.

Never Consulted!

Over the five decades that West Cumbrians have been receiving fluoride they have not been consulted or informed about the impact of water fluoridation. They have not been monitored for individual levels of consumption, its accumulation in their bodies [essential] or its impact upon their health.  The corrosive nature of the hexafluorosilic acid used to fluoridate water has meant extensive and expensive [for the taxpayer] refurbishment of dosing plants at the treatment works in Ennerdale and Cornhow. In effect communities served by Cornhow - Cockermouth, Maryport,Workington, Aspatria and intervening villages had virtually no fluoride added from 1998 to 2013. Ennerdale serving Whitehaven area and some of Workington has received the chemical for a longer period. Both works were refurbished at a undisclosed cost and water fluoridation recommenced in November 2013.  Despite decades of national and individual protest the Dental and Health community have failed to act upon the widespread health concerns of water fluoridation that have been validated by international research. The rights of an individual to have control over their personal medication are being ignored.