Farron: Conservative funding cut lets down Cumbria

Commenting on the news this morning that the Conservative leader of Eden District Council is criticising the Local Enterprise Partnership for the size of grant it has been awarded by the Government, local MP Tim Farron said:

"It beggers belief that the Conservatives are trying to pass the buck in this way. The decision to award Cumbria just £14m of the £165m bid was made by the Conservative Government alone.

"If what Kevin Beaty suggests is true that the bid was unsuccessful because the LEP didn't back the idea of an elected mayor, then I am horrified that this Government would punish flood victims and local residents in this way.

"An elected mayor would add another layer of bureaucracy, elections and crucially costs to our county. The idea hasn't succeeded simply because the figures don't stack up - far from investing in our county, the Government was just suggesting creating an extra tier of local government to manage existing budgets."