AS the dust settles on the Autumn Statement, frustration is mounting that Cumbria looks certain to miss out on vital infrastructure funding.

Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that northern Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) were to receive only £556m in Growth Deal packages.

Cumbria LEP had applied for £165m to fund transport improvements, flood resilience, broadband upgrades and to boost skills and tourism. This would, it says, deliver a £1.3bn shot in the arm for the county's economy.

The bid includes a scheme to upgrade the junction on the A590 at Cross-a-Moor, near Ulverston.

But given that the £556m pot is spread across 10 LEPs, some with much bigger populations, Cumbria looks set to receive only a fraction of the amount it asked for.

Graham Haywood, director of Cumbria LEP, said: "While we have not received confirmation from government of our funding allocation, we know it will be well below our bid.

"Cumbria LEP made an ambitious – but strong and very widely supported – bid for funding for projects the county needs to maximise its economic growth.

"Our partner organisations spent time on developing a pipeline of strong projects, most of which will now not proceed.

"The economic growth opportunities for Cumbria are massive, as is our potential to make a significant contribution to the Northern Powerhouse and the UK economy as a whole.

"We are disappointed this has not been recognised by the government."

He added: "The bid included major investments in nuclear technology, agriculture, tourism, skills, site and transport infrastructure, improving connectivity and flood resilience.

"When the LEP board meets in December, we will have some very difficult choices to make."

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron is furious that the LEP's bid has fallen on deaf ears.

The Lib Dem leader said: "The chancellor’s announcement of £556m to LEPs in the north of England sounds like a sizeable sum, but this figure must be spread out across 10 LEPs – some of which are large cities – so we know that Cumbria will see the vast majority of the funding bids to boost growth in our county turned down.

"Part of the funding the government has rejected is money that was meant to go to make Cumbria’s roads and bridges flood-resistant.

"This rejection of Cumbria’s businesses, farmers, tourism industry and education sector is a slap in the face as we fight back from last year’s floods.

"These projects would have created and protected jobs, boosted the local economy, and given hope to local communities struggling with sluggish broadband."