The recent Copeland by-election brought a lot of national attention to all parts of the borough. It also brought ministers, shadow ministers, party leaders and even the prime minister.

I just hope that all of these luminaries saw for themselves the many acute issues that Copeland faces.

The road infrastructure that we have is, frankly, abysmal and that has been stated on numerous occasions, we need actions not words and we need to ensure that there is adequate transport links from the north of Copeland to the south.

All of us also want to see much improved rail connections so that there can be efficient transportation of people and freight throughout the borough.

I do sincerely congratulate our new MP Trudy Harrison, who resides in Bootle, for her win and I look forward to working with her on matters that will benefit our residents.

Our hospital is a major concern for all of us and we all look to positive actions and outcomes for the future.

I continue to bang the drum that Millom and the south of the borough needs employment and I am continuing to work with the leaders of the two nationally significant infrastructure projects of NuGen and National Grid.

I emphasise to them the importance of employment and opportunity for an area that has been starved of investment for far too long.

All benefits of those industries must be spread across the whole of Copeland.

This has been a significant week for me in that our budget was passed on Tuesday night with an overwhelming majority. There is very exciting news for Millom in that a significant part of our capital programme will see our town centres regenerated, as I promised in my manifesto.

The basics of the scheme will mean that the £500,000 will be used to bring new life into our principal towns and villages.

Matched by private investment the whole project should see £1m of investment which is badly needed to ensure that our towns and villages are better places to live, work and visit.

We will be working with town and parish councils to effect real change. I will talk more about this scheme in the future and, as your elected mayor, I will keep you informed.

In this modern world there are new ways of working. The way we deliver services is changing. You, our Residents and therefore our customers do not access our services in the traditional way that you used to.

You want to access our services not only from home computers but from tablets, mobile phones and other devices. Residents want to carry out their business with us when they get home from work and at weekends, maybe overnight or when the council would be traditionally closed, such as bank holidays.

We need to move with the times. Your council is therefore investing £200,000 in our IT systems which will replace our website, upgrade our Geographical Information System and replace the major IT systems in planning and building control.

We are working to ensure that your council is fit to deliver to you the best possible services and ensure that we give value for money.

Mike Starkie

Elected mayor of Copeland