PLANNED funding cuts which could have forced the closure of a quarter of all pharmacies have been halted by the government.
The Department of Health was set to strip £170 million from the pharmacy budget - putting thousands of chemists across the country at risk.
It is thought the move could have threatened the future of around six local pharmacies in Barrow alone as well as others in rural communities across the area.
But critics of the proposal are now celebrating following an announcement from pharmacies minister David Mowat that the cuts will no longer go ahead.
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South Cumbria MP Tim Farron, who represents Westmorland and Lonsdale, said: "In rural areas like ours, community pharmacies are often people's first point of contact with the health system and play a crucial role.
"The government had not considered the impact these cuts would have had on rural areas and it is right that it has scrapped them."
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