BARNSLEY has not been shortlisted to receive investment and financial support from a government fund aimed to improve less well-off towns.

The £1.6bn package - dubbed the Stronger Towns Fund - offers investment to places which have not benefited from economic growth as much as other parts of the country.

The majority of the cash, £1bn, will be allocated across the country and the remaining £600m will be ring-fenced for local authorities to bid for.

However, it was announced this week that the town had been unsuccessful - much to the annoyance of Barnsley Central MP and Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis.

“Once again this Conservative government has overlooked Barnsley,” he added. “We have been battered by almost a decade of Tory austerity and we are the hardest hit borough in the country which has led to public spending being cut by £688 per resident.

“I think that working people will see this announcement for exactly what it is: a cynical pre-election stunt aiming to put government money into marginal seats.

“If the government is serious about investing in the north, they could start by reversing the last decade of cuts and ensuring that local services have sustainable funding streams for the future. I am working hard to deliver the investment Barnsley needs and deserves. In the last year, I have secured £77m in investment for vital projects in South Yorkshire, including £20m for Barnsley.

“This will be underpinned by an economic plan to build a more inclusive economy for all of the region.”