A TOWN mayor has criticised plans to build a £10bn power plant, saying his town has been "missed out of any consideration."

For the past several weeks, key representatives from NuGen have been on hand to give detailed information about the Moorside project and how it could affect people in different areas.

Last week, the team travelled to west Cumbria where they held sessions at Millom and Bootle but Millom mayor, Doug Wilson, says the event was a disappointment.

He said: "Most people who went to the consultations were extremely disappointed because although they [NuGen] came down here to do a consultation, Millom does not feature in any of their proposals.

"Despite the discussions we had with Mike Starkie and NuGen last year, it looks like we have been completely missed out of any consideration, which is disappointing when you consider the amount of people who will be travelling to work there."

Cllr Wilson is working hard to protect the interests of Millom people by continuing discussions with NuGen by calling for improvements to be made to road and rail and urging the company to exhaust Millom's workforce and create new training opportunities for young people.

The goals have been highlighted to NuGen which has said it remains committed to delivering key benefits to the town.

A spokesman from NuGen said: "Communities, like Millom, are likely to benefit through the development of the local supply chain and the local workforce – through skills and training and opportunities for employment during construction, operation and even decommissioning.

"As an example, NuGen has already begun working closely with Millom School as part of its Bright Sparks educational initiative.

"NuGen is always eager to discuss suggestions on how Millom, and other communities across Cumbria, might become more involved with the Moorside Project."

Despite the reassurances, Cllr Wilson is disappointed that no concrete plans have been revealed but calls for project leaders to look to Millom to help realise the project.

He said: "All of our county can benefit from it, not least from the provision of jobs but first, they have to exhaust their search for the skills they need in this area before they go outside the area."

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