The board responsible for overseeing the delivery of the £200m Barrow Transformation Fund has met for the first time.
Chaired by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, the meeting follows a commitment by the Government to invest in the regeneration of Barrow, in recognition of the town’s critical role in the delivery of the UK’s submarine programme and therefore the nation’s security.
Dr Case, who chaired the meeting on an interim basis pending the appointment of a permanent chair, was joined by Barrow Delivery Board members in the Town Hall, including Sam Plum, chief executive of Westmorland and Furness Council, and Steve Timms, managing director of BAE Systems Submarines.
The Barrow Transformation Fund comes after the formation of Team Barrow last year, which is a partnership between central government, Westmorland and Furness Council, and BAE Systems.
It has been established to help transform the town, revitalising Barrow and Furness as a place where people choose to live, work, and thrive.
Last week the partners received confirmation from the Government that they will receive £20m a year, from 2025, for the next 10 years.
Jonathan Brook, leader of Westmorland and Furness Council, said: “With the first Barrow Delivery Board, programme set up and staffed and funding confirmed, everything is in place for us all to hit the ground running and grasp this opportunity to drive meaningful change which will impact every single person in Barrow, and Westmorland and Furness.
“A tremendous amount of work has been going on since the summer last year between ourselves, BAE Systems and Government to get the Barrow Delivery Board established.
“There are still many challenges ahead, of course. But with a strong team now established, we are committed to working together through the Team Barrow partnership.
“Together we have the shared goals of delivering the Defence Nuclear Enterprise and diversifying and strengthening Barrow’s economy.
“This funding will bring transformational and long-lasting change for Barrow and its people in important areas such as transport; education, employment and skills; and health, equality and wellbeing, as well as community and social impact.
“Barrow is a fantastic place to live, work and thrive, and much has been done in recent years to develop that. We will continue to work with our local communities as plans are developed. I am proud that Westmorland and Furness Council is playing a key role in this partnership and look forward to seeing the results for the benefit of our communities.”
BAE Systems, which already employees more than 13,500 people, needs to grow its workforce to enable delivery of the Astute, Dreadnought and SSN-AUKUS submarine programmes.
Mr Timms said: “Barrow is at the heart of our national endeavour and the custodian of the UK’s submarine design and build capability, which is critical to both national security and the economic prosperity of our town.
“The Barrow Transformation Fund will support this and help transform and revitalise the town, to ensure we can continue to deliver critical sovereign defence capability now and in the future.”
Michelle Scrogham, the MP for Barrow and Furness, who also attended the meeting, said: “This is huge for our area; the Government is investing massively in Barrow and Furness. I’ve lived here my whole life – I know what an amazing place it is to live, work, and raise a family – but we all know we have huge challenges as well.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make Furness a centre once again not just of the manufacturing industry in this country, but a centre for education, sport, arts, transport, tourism and healthcare. This is real, lasting investment in our future.
“I’m delighted that the delivery board is starting its work and I look forward to working with them to bring lasting change to our communities.”
The delivery board is due to meet again in January, while members of the community can expect to hear more regarding future plans shortly, including ways in which to become involved.
