An imposing picture of a Vanguard class submarine dominates one wall of the office used by the chief executive of Westmorland and Furness Council when she works in Barrow.
From the west-facing window, the Devonshire Dock Hall looms large, a reminder of the industry that dominates the town.
Yet on other walls maps showing housing opportunities are pinned up while a booklet ‘Barrow and Furness – a new powerhouse of the North’ is on show.
“If Barrow rises the whole of south Cumbria will benefit,” speaking to Business Crack in the week of the Budget, Sam Plum was in optimistic mood, although well aware of the challenges Barrow faces as 2024 draws to a close.
A full order book at BAE Systems should mean the town is enjoying a buoyant period of growth after earlier times of uncertainty.
The Census, released earlier this year, made for interesting reading.
Between the last two censuses, held in 2011 and 2021, the population fell by 2.4%, from just under 69,100 in 2011 to around 67,400 in 2021. This means Barrow was one of five local authority areas in the North West to see its population decline.
The town is getting older too. Between the last two censuses, the average (median) age increased by two years, from 42 to 44 years of age.
Attracting new people and ensuring those who are already here have the best chance of succeeding are among the list of priorities the local authority and its partners are grappling with.
Team Barrow, a consortium made up of the council, BAE Systems and the Government, is, Sam believes, a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to make a major difference to the area.
Already work streams are up and running focusing on areas such as housing and education.
A delivery board meeting is due to take place before Christmas by when it is hoped the Labour government will have confirmed the substantial investment earmarked for the town by the last government. In March money – £20m each year for the next ten years – was promised.
Speaking in March, Sam praised the decision.
“Over recent years we have already secured over £50m to build a new university campus, improve our housing stock, create new community facilities and revamp our market hall to create a vibrant, modern offer.
“But we know this will only scratch the surface, and if we are truly to level up our area and ensure everyone has the opportunity to flourish and contribute we need to go further and faster, and we need to work with our communities in different ways to tackle some of the issues they face on a daily basis.”
But in Barrow ‘every day matters’ and until it’s confirmed, something she hopes will be a formality, there’s anxiety until the deal is done.
“In the 19th century Barrow grew rapidly and I think history could repeat itself – we are on the cusp of that again,” Sam said.
Across Buccleach Dock the University of Cumbria’s new Barrow campus is taking shape.
When it opens in September next year the kinds of skills increasingly needed will be taught.
Undergraduate opportunities to study mechanical engineering, computer science and nursing will be offered along with postgraduate and continuing professional development in areas such as health, supply chain and logistics, and project management.
All being well much to come but what about today and tangible developments happening now?
“I think people can see things are changing,” Sam says, highlighting success in attracting support from the government’s Towns Deal and Levelling Up funding as evidence that investment has already started to filter into Furness.
A two-year project to rejuvenate the town’s market hall is now under way. Traders have moved out to a nearby temporary home and the builders have moved in to complete a £17.5m refurbishment project.
The decision by BAE Systems to acquire former retail properties in the town centre’s Portland Walk development for use in education, outreach and recruitment will, it’s hoped, see an increase in the number of people making use of the area’s remaining shops.
A careers hub to promote not just jobs in Barrow but the surrounding area too is now open.
18 months ago, Westmorland and Furness Council came into being, a unitary authority with big responsibilities and ambition. How does the woman at the top view progress so far?
“We’ve certainly noticed more people applying for jobs; Barrow Borough Council struggled with recruitment but now we’re covering a wider area, together with the possibility of hybrid working, recruitment is easier,” Sam says.
Social work is one area where the authority of Westmorland and Furness is benefiting from a bigger profile. “Social workers from Lancashire, Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region are now more interested in the opportunities we have here which is bound to help our residents,” she says.
The formation of Enterprising Cumbria, the organisation which replaced the LEP, has also been welcomed in this part of the county.
The new framework, which includes the creation of an economic growth board, is welcome news in an area where it’s not just defence that provides work. Ulverston is home to engineering companies and the wider Morecambe Bay area has a thriving Electech Innovation Cluster at the cutting edge of technology.
Sam concedes the area needs to up its game when it comes to selling itself. A wild swimmer and resident of Walney Island, she came to Barrow after working in Bradford, Pendle, Rossendale – areas where ‘work is needed.’ Could she be a potential case study for those considering a move to Cumbria?
“What drew me to Barrow was the chance to do something for people because there was a job to be done – there is so much to do here and with the lakes on our doorstep it’s a great place to live,” she says. “We need good homes, great schools and to work with the NHS, private sector and third sector so that more people can see their future here.”
Work to prepare the marina village site for the construction of 800 new homes is nearing completion and big name developers are said to be eyeing the opportunity with interest.
Other sites, at Rakesmoor Lane north of the town centre where 107 homes could be built and 1,000 more at Cross-a-Moor, will be included in the area’s new local plan currently in draft.
But it’s not just developing more homes. Public Health England show Barrow has a significantly lower than average life expectancy for men and women.
The area also has significantly worse rates than the national average when it comes to cardiovascular disease, hospital admissions for alcohol conditions and self-harm. Central, Hindpool, Barrow Island, Ormsgill, Risedale and Newbarns are listed as among the 10% most deprived areas in England.
“It’s all about collaboration – no one sector can do what needs doing on its own,” Sam observes. “We’ve got a real opportunity to do things differently.”
As the dust settles after the Budget and the analysis continues, those eager to start what they believe will be a renaissance for the shipyard town will be counting down to when they can bring the buzz back to Barrow.
