IT was a rare day of political harmony...

At 9.30am on Thursday, senior politicians from across the Borders region ­— including Cumbria ­— joined the local government secretary Robert Jenrick for a ‘virtual’ signing ceremony, formally approving the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.

Supported by politicians from opposing parties, the investment programme was achieved following unprecedented levels of cross-party and cross-border cooperation.

The deal was this week being described as “historic.” It sounds like spin. But when you look at what the deal involves for Cumbria and the Borders region ­— covering five local authority areas that includes Carlisle and Cumbria ­— that word makes absolute sense.

“It’s the biggest deal I’ve ever been involved in in all my time on the council,” said Cumbria County Council Leader Stewart Young.

“It’s worth £350m over ten years from two governments over the whole Borderlands region.

“It’s massive. We’re hoping it will open the doors for further opportunities because of relationships we’ve built up with officials – and politicians in both parliaments.”

When you factor in the private investment that is part of this ambitious initiative, the value of the deal rises to an eye-watering £452m. So what will the cash pay for?

The list of projects is impressive. It includes:

* Carlisle Station Gateway, a £20m investment to develop Carlisle Station as a regional “gateway” and a transport hub, with connections across the Borderlands area while paving the pay for the expected arrival of HS2 in the future.

* Carlisle Citadels, a £50m project that will transform the Grade 1 listed Citadels buildings into a new city centre campus for the University of Cumbria, expanding opportunities for students.

* Digital Borderlands, a £32.2m initiative focusing on digital and mobile connectivity across Borderland local authority areas, boosting business performance helping more remote communities.

* Destination Borderlands, an £18m project to promote the Borderlands area as a tourism destination. It envisages projects along the length of Hadrian’s Wall (from Wallsend to Ravenglass), while £6m is allocated to the ‘See More Lake District Cycling’ project.

* The Place programme, allocating £50m to rural towns across the Borderlands region to boost economic growth. Longtown, Wigton, Egremont, Penrith, Dalton-in-Furness and Ulverston are each in line for up to £3m investment.

* Encouraging Green Growth, a commitment to invest £31m in energy projects to support ‘green’ growth and reduce carbon emissions.

With the UK economy about to face its biggest challenge in a generation as the country emerges from the pandemic, the timing of this deal could hardly be better. “It’s not going to solve all our problems,” observed Mr Young.

“But it is a significant investment, which we’re going to need as we come out of the pandemic. I think we all know our economy is going to be on its knees and when we do come out of this, it’s going to be vitally needed.”

Is the deal an example of levelling up?

Mr Young agreed it is but replied: “There are two governments involved: the UK government and Scottish government; and this deal is unique because it’s cross-border. And it’s involved local authorities of different political persuasions across the region.”

He paid tribute to Dumfries MP David Mundell, the Conservative who along with former Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry gave determined backing to the project.

“But it’s been a cross-party effort,” continued Mr Young, who highlighted one of the most visible transformations that will be brought by the funding.

“At one point it looked as though HS2 might not even stop in Cumbria,” he said.

“They’d stop in Preston and then head straight up to Glasgow or Edinburgh because the more times you stop the slower your travel time.

"But the investment that they’re putting into the railway station has caused HS2 to look seriously at stopping at Carlisle and actually investing in the station.

“They’re overspending the HS2 budget nationally, but there are serious plans in place and they haven’t yet pressed the button on it. That wouldn’t be happening without the Borderlands investments.

"The access we’re building at the back of the station will come straight up on to the new platform.

“So it’s ideal for them, and they’d be extending the existing platforms as well. It would be a major change. If we can get them to stop at Carlisle, you will be able to get on the train there and go to Paris. It’s good stuff.”

Carlisle MP John Stevenson said the Borderlands Deal is “huge” for our region ­— and particularly for Carlisle.

“It’s very much put the region on the map nationally in a way that it hasn’t been in the past,” he said.

“There’s a recognition by the Government that places like the Borderlands are important and do need support. From a local perspective, it’s brought five councils together who have worked extremely well ­— both between themselves and with Government ministers.”

He heaped praise on David Mundell and Jake Berry, credited with driving the deal forward. “We’re on a different level now; this is serious money.

“At the beginning,” he said, “I was nervous it might break down. But people put aside their political persuasions and their geographic identities to work collectively. It’s worked extremely well.”

The deal’s significance goes beyond investment, said Mr Stevenson.

“Borderlands has elevated Carlisle in terms of its ambition of its aspiration to be a regional capital ­— albeit a small regional capital.”

He set out the avalanche of public funding pouring into Carlisle.

As well as the Borderlands Deal, the city is being boosted by an Enterprise Zone (planning and tax breaks), the £9.5m High Street Fund, Town Deal funding of £20m, cash for the Garden Village scheme, and £145m of investment in the southern relief road.

Mr Stevenson added: “Effectively, Carlisle over the next few years will see £250m of Government money coming in to support it.

"When I was first elected, I said Carlisle punched below its weight; now it’s punching at its weight, but it has an aspiration to punch above its weight."

What really matters, said Mr Stevenson, is the way in which the Borderlands Deal and the other positive developments are reshaping perceptions of Carlisle beyond our city boundary - something that is already having a transformative effect.

John said: "We've now got the biggest company in the world - Amazon - invested in Carlisle, with a vision to expand.

"And that drags in other business on the back of it; and we've got Kingmoor Park, which is doing extremely well.

"The ring road is the jewel in the crown for Carlisle in terms of infrastructure. But from a perception point of view, the Borderlands deal is more significant. It demonstrates that we're a regional captial.

"Carlisle is becoming a much more successful city.”

So what did getting the deal over the line mean to him personally?

He replied: "To put it bluntly, the Borderlands Growth Deal is the fulfilment of years of hard work.

"It's a collective congratulations that's needed because this was people working as a team, collegiately. That's brought success to Carlisle and the Borderlands region.

"There was no sense of anybody trying to dominate; it was very much a team performance - and hugely successful."

Carlisle City Council Leader John Mallinson said: “The deal will provide crucial support to our region’s recovery from the Covid-19 emergency and ensure we set in place strong foundations on which to build back better and greener, delivering inclusive and sustainable growth.”

The councils involved in the Growth Deal are Carlisle City Council, Cumbria County Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Northumberland County Council and Scottish Borders Council.