Farron welcomes highways funding coming to the South Lakes

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed the news that South Lakeland has been given the 'lions share' of the recent funding to improve local highways after pressure from Tim.

Last month, the Department for Transport announced that Cumbria County Council would receive a £4.8m cash boost to patch up the county's potholes. Tim, who helped secure the funding called on the council to make sure that South Lakeland gets its fair share.

Of the money, it is understood £1.2m will be spent on countywide projects while the remaining £3.6m will be allocated to the six committee areas for local projects.

According to analysis by the North West Evening Mail, early proposals suggest that South Lakeland will benefit the most from the cash injection by receiving £845,277, or 23 per cent of the money allocated.

Barrow with £257,258 (seven per cent) and Copeland with £367,512 (10 per cent) will receive the least overall, under the proposals. Decisions have not yet been made about which roads will be improved but repairs are expected to take place between now and March 2015.

Tim said: "When I'm out knocking on doors, local residents mention to me time after time the poor state of our roads.

"Since 2010, we have been able to secure over £10m of funding to improve our roads and I have lobbied to make sure that the funding that we have been able to secure for Cumbria County Council went to improve roads in South Lakeland.

"People pay enough tax for their cars. I think the least they deserve is decent roads, not roads strewn with potholes."