THE Communities Minister has insisted that the Government is "absolutely committed" to developing the nuclear industry in Cumbria.

Secretary of state for local government and communities, Sajid Javid, visited the county to mark the official launch of the Cumbria Conservative Party’s Cumbria County Council election manifesto launch.

Visiting Kendal College, the secretary of state for communities and local government, took the opportunity to look around the college’s facilities and address members of the local Conservative party.

When asked about the nuclear new build in Cumbria and the bankruptcy of Westinghouse - the firm due to build the project’s reactors - Mr Javid and James Airey, leader of the Conservative Group at Cumbria County Council were confident in the project.

Mr Javid, said: “Nationally, I think we made it clear, especially in the [Copeland] by-election that the nuclear industry and civil nuclear industry are hugely important for our economic growth and development.

“Cumbria has a lot to offer and I think it’s going to create not just jobs and opportunities but develop and train so many young people in skills who are going to learn at places like Kendal College and elsewhere that can be used in other industries in the future."

He added: “We’re absolutely committed to it, there is a role for the Government there’s a role for international and domestic investors.

“We have seen, in some countries, some challenges but that’s not happening here at home and we’ve got a strong nuclear industry and the Government’s absolutely committed to it.”

James Airey, the leader of the county council's Conservative group, said: “As a local authority and a strategic local authority, I want to share our commitment to the nuclear industry on the west coast and it’s about working with the central government to deliver the investment and infrastructure that we need.

“It’s not just that it’s the long term legacy that we need, so that when we get these extra construction jobs and growth in the nuclear industry, we need lasting benefit on the west coast that’s here for decades."