An alliance which aims to bring £500m to the region which straddles the Scotland-England border has taken another step towards fruition.

Representatives from five cross-border local authorities met with the Sectretary of State for Scotland David Mundell to discuss their shared vision for the Borderlands initiative.

Those at the meeting - from Carlisle City, Cumbria County, Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders and Northumberland County councils - gave the MP an update on developing formal proposals.

They discussed the case for investment which includes addressing low levels of employment; exploiting regional assets by promoting sectors such as tourism, energy and rural enterprises; and creating and safeguarding jobs.

Developing a Borderlands deal was at the heart of budget plans agreed by Dumfries and Galloway Council with a pledge to spend an initial £150,000 over the next two years to develop a Borderlands Inclusive Growth Initiative.
Council leaders in talks. Left to right: Mark Rowley (Scottish Borders Council), Peter Jackson (Northumberland Council) Elaine Murray (Dumfries and Galloway Council), David Mundell MP, Stewart Young (Cumbria County Council) and Colin Glover (Carlisle City Council)

The council said the meeting on was an "important step".

Elaine Murray, leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, said: "The overall value of the 10-15 year plan could be £500m+ and it is in all our interests to combine to seize this opportunity for our future aspirations.”

In what is her council's number one priority she said promoting economic growth and competitiveness for the area needed combined approach from a "level playing field" so that everyone could reap the rewards.

A way forward, she said, is to develop a range of projects, some cutting across several councils, others in specific council areas.

"We need to build on the strengths from all our regions and combine forces to increase our power and investment," she added.

Transport and connectivity will be at the heart of the proposals.

The vision also includes promoting Borderlands as an area for clean energy generation with investment in both digital and physical infrastructure to improve the accessibility.


The Scotland-England border at Gretna But those involved say it will be worthless without the workforce to go along with the new opportunities.

Investment opportunities access to further and higher education on both sides of the border with a "border blind" approach to skills and educational funding.

It's hoped this will help grow the working population with a focus on retaining and attracting young and working-age people by increasing the number of high value jobs.

David Mundell, the MP for Dumfriesshire, said the meeting was "a productive start" to develop a "transformative deal" for Borderlands.

He said: "It is vital we seize the opportunity to make the most of Borderlands’ huge potential and all partners need to work together right across the region.

"We must be ambitious and make a real difference to the lives of people here.”