Michael Gove says Barrow should become the new powerhouse for the North.
Mr Gove, the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has announced major policies to speed up property development in England.
Praising the industrial credentials of the North of England, Mr Gove reserved special praise for Barrow, referring to it as the ‘home of engineering excellence’.
He said: “It’s not just Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Wolverhampton, and existing great cities, where we see new opportunities opening in the North.
“Barrow in Cumbria is the home of engineering excellence. The site of significant new investment over the next four decades.
“And, of course, it will be building the submarines of the future through the historic AUKUS deal.
“We want Barrow to become a new powerhouse for the North.”
It was announced that Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary and a team of civil servants will visit the town this week to meet with Barrow and Furness MP Simon Fell, and others, to discuss scope for expansion in Barrow.
Mr Fell said: “It was fantastic to see Michael Gove specifically call out Barrow in his speech on housing.
“With generations of investment, and thousands of new jobs coming to our community as a result of the Dreadnought programme, AUKUS, and energy projects such as Barrow Green Hydrogen, more offshore wind, and (hopefully) carbon capture and storage, it is essential that Government leans in to help Furness thrive and deliver. This is an important step to deliver on that promise.
“I look forward to welcoming the Cabinet Secretary to Barrow later this week to discuss Furness’ needs in more detail.”
