POSITIVE things are starting to happen in my constituency – and elsewhere in Cumbria – thanks to record levels of Government investment.
These are ambitious transformational projects, game-changers for our constituency. But before they are fully realised, these plans must pass through several stages from the development of a business case and the submission of a funding bid, through to public consultations, planning, and ultimately delivery.
More than £700m worth of investment and support has flooded into the Workington constituency since I was elected in 2019.
That is a huge responsibility for all those from national government down to local government – and, indeed, for everyone involved. Work needs to be done to ensure that this money is spent effectively – and projects come within budget. Each scheme has its own unique challenges and obstacles to overcome.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, as the old saying goes.
The important thing is that this constituency has never had a higher profile or more investment. And we are starting to see evidence of that progress.
There are some who claim nothing is happening, I would simply invite them to “look again”!
A state-of-the-art innovation centre moved a step closer this month with the submission of a planning application.
This comes as part of the Workington Town Deal – £23.1 million of Government funding for projects including a new sports village and unlocking land for development at Oldside and the Port of Workington.
This much-needed space will form a new and thriving hub for businesses, driving growth and innovation – and is a key part of my plan as I set out in 2019, to revitalise town centres, support businesses and improve digital infrastructure.
This project perfectly complements other projects for the constituency which are being delivered through Government funding – improving public realm, a new shared sports stadium and our new Digital Accelerator at Lakes College - and demonstrates our commitment to the ‘levelling up’ agenda.
With the £11.5 million for Maryport through the Future High Street Fund and the £10m Workington Gateway Project through the Levelling Up Fund, on top of this £23m, we are starting to see these schemes brought to life after three years of planning.
In Maryport, work is gathering pace on improvements to the townscape. Christ Church, famously represented by LS Lowry, Percy Kelly and Sheila Fell, is covered in scaffolding. But that’s a good sign: it means that efforts to transform the previously empty building into a museum and visitor attraction are taking shape.
Workington has made use of £750,000 in ‘accelerated funding’ to improve public spaces near Workington Leisure Centre. This has paid for an outdoor events and activity area, as well as new pathways for walking and jogging and a paved area to create space for a mobile big screen for public viewing of major events.
It has also paid for Workington-themed artwork on the walls of the underpass, and we now have a dedicated cycleway between Central Way and the Brow Top car park connecting previously disparate parts of the national cycle network.
This money from the Conservative Government also helped to fund the demolition of the derelict eyesore Opera House.
The process may seem slow at times, but in point of fact things are moving remarkably swiftly indeed.
The Workington Gateway Project has been approved by the Levelling Up Fund, delivering a further £9.6m of Government funding. This came after I gave formal priority support for Allerdale Borough Council’s bid in June of last year.
The improvements will encourage more HGVs to use the A595 to instead of driving through towns and villages along the A596. They will connect the Washington Square and Murray Road retail hub with the historic quarter of the town, including Hall Park, and Grade I-listed Workington Hall. They will see a restored Walled garden in conjunction with West House. And they will provide improved walking and cycling infrastructure through the park.
I also gave my support to another successful Levelling Up Fund bid from Cumbria County Council which will see £19.5m worth of road improvements between Barrow-in-Furness and Cockermouth.
Fibrus vans and engineers out and about in numbers working to deliver Project Gigabit, a Government scheme that prioritises hard-to-reach rural areas with the slowest speeds.
Cumbria is one of the first areas to benefit from the multi-million pound project following representations which I made on behalf of my rural constituents.
Work is well underway to deliver £40 million investment of phase 2 of the West Cumberland Hospital (WCH) redevelopment. This will bring a massive upgrade or both patients and staff, retaining bed capacity and services. This is on top of the £90m investment from phase one.
We have seen the opening of a new cancer hospital on the site of the Cumberland Infirmary following an investment of £35m. We have also seen £50 million is being provided for the Carlisle Citadels campus project by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) through the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal. There has been £20m to drive the regeneration of the southern end of the city centre. This demonstrates what can happen and what is happening when a Conservative Government and Conservative MPs work together for their constituents.
Prior to my election, I set out how I would work with the PCC and other Cumbrian MPs to ensure investment in our Police. I have worked tirelessly to ensure they have the support and resources they need. Cumbria Police now has more police officers than ever before, with 192 additional officers recruited in less than four years. We’re opening new police bases and putting named community officers back into our towns
and villages which is already driving down crime and antisocial behaviour, making national news.
And even in those instances where you can’t always see shovels in the ground, this doesn’t mean that things aren’t moving behind-the-scenes. I will continue to work to ensure we keep moving forward – and I assure you we are.
