THE MP for Torridge and Tavistock has issued an urgent appeal to the Labour government to ensure Torridge's Levelling Up Partnership continues.

Sir Geoffrey Cox, MP has released a statement, asking the newly elected government to continue work to bring investment to the West Devon area.

He said: “I am seeking urgent assurances from the Labour government that they will continue with Torridge's Levelling Up Partnership announced last year, which is set to bring huge and unprecedented investment in job-boosting projects to our local communities.

“The government awarded additional monies to Torridge to examine and prepare a list of projects for the Secretary of State to approve and a huge amount of work was undertaken by TDC, the government task force of officials and by the Torridge Place Board (on which I sit) to identify the priority projects. Early last month, we had already submitted a preferred list of important and transformational projects for the Secretary of State's decision in July. It is now sitting on the desk of Angela Rayner MP.

“I have written to the government urging swift progress in approving these projects, which are planned to be commenced by March next year. These include major investment in a 10-acre Agri-Hub development at the Holsworthy cattle market, the Marine Technology Innovation centre at Appledore and investments to regenerate Bideford and Torrington town centres. Last week, I asked the following question in Parliament.

"To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure the levelling up partnership in Torridge will move forward according to its current timetable.

“Yesterday, I received the following reply from the Government. ‘No decisions have been taken by the Government on Levelling Up Partnerships’.

“Torridge has some of the most economically disadvantaged areas in the country and, throughout our time in the EU, missed out on major direct investment because of EU rules that awarded aid to larger areas such as Cornwall. The Levelling Up Partnerships were a means of redressing this inequity and concentrated on just twenty districts in the country.

“It is essential that the new Labour government presses forward with the Levelling Up Partnership and does not betray Torridge's communities by pulling the plug on the largest public investment ever made in them.”