RUNNING BATTLE: The proposed Woodhouse Colliery in west Cumbria will be the subject of a public inquiry The political fallout is continuing in Cumbria following the latest twist in the ongoing battle over plans to bring back coal mining to the county. Late on Thursday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published a letter that it had sent to Cumbria County Council, informing the authority the Secretary of State for Local Government, Robert Jenrick, had "called in" the controversial planning application for the construction of a coking coal mine just outside Whitehaven. This means that Mr Jenrick will now make the decision on whether or not to approve the proposals, rather than Cumbria County Council.