A historic lack of commitment to building nuclear submarines should be a ‘source of national shame’ and those who are charged with making them today should be ‘treated as kings’ according to the former civil servant who now chairs Barrow’s regeneration group.
Lord Case was giving evidence to the Defence Committee along with several members of Team Barrow’s top team drawn from the Government, BAE Systems and Westmorland and Furness Council.
He said the UK had become ‘embarrassed’ to be part of civil and defence nuclear projects and that the ‘huge’ skills shortage was the result of ‘decades of neglect.’
Team Barrow was formed as a working title in 2023 before becoming a formal, government funded entity a year ago.
£200million has been allocated to the project, something Lord Case said while significant was ‘nowhere near enough’ to completely revitalise a town that until last year MPs were told was reducing in population.
When asked about the impact the project has made so far and reaction from people living in the area, Team Barrow CEO Peter Anstiss admitted there was ‘some degree of scepticism’ about it.
The former BAE Systems executive said other, promised regeneration schemes and a perceived lack of progress had been seen.
“We have a well researched plan which is public…but we have to be measured,” he told MPs.
“We’re looking at every opportunity to speed up decision making and concentrate on outcome and benefits.”
Lord Case conceded the group had taken ‘a long time’ to work out the group’s priorities and that encouraging Barrovians to believe in the aims and ambition of something he said had never been down before.
He highlighted that Team Barrow had two main objectives to sustain and enable the current programmes underway at BAE Systems but also diversify the economy of the town.
A lack of public services and an urgent need to provide better housing were also highlighted to the committee.
When asked if the shipyard would be able to cope with the demand for more new submarines set out earlier this year Lord Case said while ti was up to BAE Systems to comment in detail it was, he said, ‘a very demanding target.’
“Making Barrow successful is unusual,” Lord Case said. “There are high waged, high skilled jobs in the shipyard. We need to build a place to build and sustain that.”
The opening of the new University of Cumbria campus in Barrow was highlighted as Angela Jones, Westmorland and Furness Council’s director of thriving places, told the committee the council was driving improved skills from pre-school to graduation.
A housing task force has been created to speed up construction of new homes, she said although the number identified falls several thousand short of those predicted to be needed by the shipyard’s growing workforce.
“ We need to take community with us not to them – hope and feel that they are part of the future,” Angela Jones said.
“It is a stretch for the local authority and feel that we shouldn’t underestimate it. The benefits are not just for Barrow but the area and region as a whole.”
One year on, observers are maybe only now becoming aware of the scale of the challenges the team now faces.
