MP tables Parliamentary motion calling for 12-month financial support package for Cumbria’s tourism and hospitality industry

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has tabled a motion in Parliament calling for the Government to provide financial support for Cumbria's tourism and hospitality sector until next Spring.

There are fears that many businesses will not be able to re-open until the autumn, just at the point that the industry's low season begins.

It comes after new analysis from the Royal Society of Arts found that South Lakeland and Eden are in the top four areas in the country most at risk to job losses because of the coronavirus crisis.

Meanwhile, a new survey from Cumbria Tourism has found that by the end of next month, the coronavirus pandemic will have cost the county's tourism industry £1.45bn with over 18,000 jobs set to be lost.

Tim said: "The Cumbrian economy is the most exposed in the UK as a result of this crisis, largely because of the importance of our incredible hospitality and tourism sector.

"The industry has been hit more than any other and will be doubly hit if it is expected to stand on its own two feet after the summer, at the very point when visitor numbers would normally drop heavily.

"Therefore it's absolutely critical for jobs and businesses that the Government works with us to provide the financial support needed to keep hospitality in the Lakes going until the high season."