Residents of Cleator Moor and Millom have come a step closer to securing significant funding for both of their towns after Copeland Council voted to back the town deals boards.

At a recent Executive meeting, councillors unanimously supported the Cleator Moor and Millom town deal boards, and confirmed that a Copeland Council board member would be on each of the town deals boards.

They also agreed to provide secretariat support through the democratic services team to assist both boards, with support also coming from the economic development and communications teams.

It could see investment in both towns of up to £25 million.

Whitehaven Mayor Mike Starkie had attended both Cleator Moor and Millom town deals boards and said: "I can see this moving in a very positive direction."

Chief Executive Pat Graham echoed how important it was for the borough and said that covid-19 had impeded progress and impacted on proposed community workshops.

They will therefore be waiting until January before submitting the application, to ensure that the governance is right and she added: "Helping with that is our role in making the projects a success."

Cleator Moor and Millom were two of the 100 towns selected in England to develop proposals for a town deal, forming part of a £3.6 billion towns fund package across the UK.

The cash is to provide investment in transport, digital, skills and culture to help transform the towns, boost productivity and raise living standards.