'We are making our own luck' - MP hails South Lakes new business success

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has today welcomed research from company formation specialists, Duport, which shows that there was a 4% increase in new business start ups during 2012.

The latest Duport Business Confidence Report for Cumbria shows that the first six months of 2012 saw Cumbria's best numbers for a decade in terms of the forming of new companies. In the first half of 2012 a total of 1,019 companies were formed in Cumbria. This figure is 4.1% higher than last year.

This is only 300 down on the previous best year, which was ten years ago and long before the financial crash.

Duport also released a report on Kendal. They said that a total of 171 companies were formed in Kendal in 2012. This total is 4.9% higher than in 2011.

Tim said: "This report proves that local people are bucking the national trend. Despite the serious economic situation nationally, here in the South Lakes we are seeing dozens of new businesses setting up. Our community is making its own luck and proving that there is still a huge amount of vitality and strength in our local economy.

"This news alongside the huge rise in the number of local apprentices and investment in manufacturing jobs at Croppers, Gilkes and GSK shows that our campaigns to strengthen our economy and increase job numbers is really paying dividends. We will keep campaigning and working to support local businesses and back our local economy. This news is another piece of evidence that this is working."