New Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has accepted a further invitation to visit Morecambe to see the Eden Project North site - after his planned visit to the town tomorrow was cancelled.
Mr Hunt was publicly invited to Morecambe by his fellow Conservative David Morris, the town's MP, and said he would be "delighted to accept".
The new Chancellor had originally been scheduled to visit the town tomorrow (October 20).
But the trip was cancelled amid the economic crisis enveloping the government after the fall-out from its controversial mini-budget.
Kwasi Kwarteng was sacked as Chancellor on Friday by Prime Minister Liz Truss, and then Mr Hunt was appointed as his successor.
During Mr Hunt's economic update to the Commons on Monday, Mr Morris issued the invitation while bringing up the subject of the planned Eden Project North in Morecambe.
"I would like to welcome my right hon. Friend—my friend—to his new position as Chancellor," he said.
"My right hon. Friend should have been coming to Morecambe on Thursday, but of course last weekend has changed these things. However, I extend the invitation to come to Morecambe so that he can see how much money has been spent there and how well it has been doing since 2010, and also see the Eden Project North site and the stakeholders."
Mr Morris is pictured below.
Mr Hunt replied: "I would be delighted to accept my hon. Friend’s invitation.
"He might not want to tell me what he would like as a christening present for his daughter, because I now have a trillion pounds at my disposal."
Afterwards, Mr Morris said: "Eden Project North is at a pivotal stage and is extremely near the stage when the project becomes a reality.
"The bid for Levelling Up round 2 funding is with the Department for Levelling Up now and the Financial Secretary has confirmed that this funding will be announced by the end of the year.
"I wasted no time making the case for Eden with the new Chancellor and ensured it was in the forefront of his mind both as he took the appointment and in his first statement to the House.
"Eden Project North is pivotal to our area and I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure it is at the top of the Government agenda until the funding is announced."
Also on Monday, Simon Clarke, the new Levelling Up secretary, confirmed that a decision on round 2 grants will now be announced by the end of 2022.
An announcement had previously been expected in the autumn.
A bid for £50m of Levelling Up money to help fund the Eden Project North eco-attraction in Morecambe was made in August. If the bid is successful, work will start on the new Eden facility on the central Promenade.
It is hoped that Eden will be one of two successful bids in the 'culture and heritage investment' category.
These awards will be for “flagship projects and must be in line with the fund’s focus on highly visible interventions that boost local pride in place”.
Related Story: Eden Project North bid decision now due "by end of year" - Beyond Radio
It has been estimated that the Eden Project North (artist's impression above) would pull 740,000 visitors to Morecambe annually.
It would combine indoor and outdoor attractions, themed around Morecambe Bay, and will include plants, art and interactive exhibits, a concert area for live music events, three cafe/restaurants and a visitor centre.
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