£394.5 million investment for Borderlands

Scottish Secretary David Mundell has announced a £394.5 million investment into the five local authority areas on both sides of the border that make up the Borderlands.

Mundell was joined by Jake Berry, Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, the Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson and the leaders of the five councils to sign a momentous deal for the region. It is hoped that the boost will accelerate the region’s economic development, create jobs and encourage future investment in the area.

If approved, the investment will be spent with £19 million going towards a world class mountain bike innovation centre, up to £15 million in improvements at Carlisle railway station and roughly £16.2 million in the South of Scotland to improve digital connectivity.

Mundell said: “It’s fantastic news that the UK Government is to invest up to £265 million in the Borderlands deal. This is an ambitious approach to cross-border working between governments, local authorities and partners which will boost economic growth by helping existing business, encouraging new ventures and bringing a wealth of improvements to people who live and work in the area and to visitors.

“The Borderlands deal has made huge progress in the last 18 months. I’d like to thank the five ‎local authorities who have worked so well together, along with the UK and Scottish governments, to achieve this. The South of Scotland and northernmost parts of England operate as a single economic area and it is important the border is not allowed to become an obstacle to development. To date the UK government has committed more than £1.41 billion of Growth Deal investment to support sustainable growth in Scotland and create jobs and opportunities for the future.”

Up to £265 million is coming from the UK Government, £85 million from the Scottish Government and the remainder coming from the other partners.

Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “The Borderlands Growth Deal is an important step forward for the Northern Powerhouse, showing how we can unlock the potential of the Carlisle economy right across to Northumberland and into Scotland. I congratulate the council leaders, Jake Berry MP, the Scottish Secretary and John Stevenson MP, who have all championed this.”

“The linking of transport to housing, including the new Garden Village, through to key economic development opportunities, will drive productivity. We do need to go further though - which is why we need HS2 services between London and Glasgow to stop in Carlisle, also improving connectivity to West Cumbria.”