FOLLOWING the announcement of a £345 million Borderlands deal targeted at projects in Cumbria and the Scottish borders, Barrow's MP says there is a 'real danger' that areas like Furness might miss out.

Responding to the announcement made by Chancellor Philip Hammond in his Spring statement on March 13 in the House of Commons, MP John Woodcock is concerned that the proposed £345m funding boost for Cumbria, Northumberland and southern Scottish areas may not bring much benefit to Barrow and South Lakes.

Independent MP for Barrow and Furness John Woodcock said:" It is a good idea to get the areas on both sides of the Scotland border working more closely together but there is a real danger that areas like Furness in the south of the county may miss out despite nominally being included to boost the amount of money available to the deal. Our part of Cumbria urgently needs to talk to government about where this leaves us. Ministers have been talking for some time as if Barrow and South Lakes were part of this initiative yet as it stands they are not part of the group developing it - unlike Carlisle City Council.

“My preference at the moment would be for our area to press ahead with government on a separate Morecambe bay growth deal that better reflects our economic partnerships and geography than tying us to Scottish border region that is a two hour schlep for Barrovians over mountains and round lakes.”

The Mail contacted the government's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in response but was unable to provide a statement within the deadline for this article.