Trudy's Whitehaven News column from March 15, 2023:
I’d like to start this month’s column by thanking members of Copeland’s farming community who joined me at four successful evening get-togethers over the past two months.
We welcomed around 200 guests to the gatherings – in Lamplugh, Bootle, Braithwaite and Gosforth – for plenty of farming-related questions, debate and discussion.
There is no better industry than farming where in-depth knowledge and experience is passed down within communities and through generations – not least here in Copeland - and I’ll be taking all the feedback and insight received back to colleagues in Defra.
Thanks also to colleagues from Natural England, Rural Payments Agency, NFU, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Country Land and Business Association and Gibbons Accountants for the invaluable support and input at the gatherings.
In my Whitehaven News column last month (available at my website) I discussed the vast sums of Government money that are heading to Copeland, by way of multi-million-pound Town Deals and Levelling Up Funding. Cleator Moor alone is receiving a staggering £60m in Government and match-funding.
However I’d like to take the time to highlight other pots of Government funding coming to Copeland that have been announced over the past month; they can sometimes fall under the radar, yet these are significant amounts and will make a positive difference to our residents and communities.
- Cumbria will receive £1.4 million of Department for Transport funding to install 900 new electric vehicle chargepoints across the county. Topped up by a further £500,000 of private investment, the funding will create 780 chargepoints within streetlights or new charging bollards, and a further 120 in car parks. This is an important step in the transition to a low-carbon future.
- The Lake District National Park will receive an extra £440,000 from the Government to support access, engagement and conservation programmes to provide more opportunities for people to enjoy the park’s natural beauty.
- Copeland Borough Council has successfully applied to the Government’s Changing Places Fund to pay for a fully-accessible changing room and toilet to be installed at the La’al Ratty’s Ravenglass station. The £68,000 grant will provide a state-of-the-art facility for those who struggle to use standard toilets.
When you consider the unprecedented levels of funding we have received in the past year alone – including a new Whitehaven Academy (£20m), phase two of the West Cumberland Hospital redevelopment (£40m) and Egremont’s flood defence and environmental scheme (£18.5m) – the Government continues to demonstrate its absolute commitment to Copeland.
