DOZENS of organisations and hundreds of residents in Cumbria have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging him to help create thousands of green jobs in the county.

The joint letter to the Prime Minister says 9,000 green jobs could be created in Cumbria in the next 15 years and calls on him to rapidly invest in greener transport, industry, energy, homes and waste.

The letter to the Prime Minister has been signed by 31 organisations based in or covering Cumbria and 290 residents.

Around 80 public, private and third sector organisations in Cumbria, have already adopted a carbon-neutral target year of 2037 for the county, as part of the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership.

Signatories to the letter, which include UNISON North West, South Lakeland District Council, and organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Friends of the Lake District and Anti-Racist Cumbria, highlight home heating as a major area for action.

Friends of the Earth regional campaigner, Estelle Worthington, said: “Investing in green jobs can bring enormous benefits to local communities, such as helping to tackle inequalities and ending the scandal of winter fuel poverty, as well as offering communities a real long-term alternative to high carbon industries like coal mining.

“Cumbria could and should be at the forefront of government efforts to create a zero-carbon economy, but the rapid investment is urgently needed to create the thousands of new green jobs that would help make this a reality.

“The government must ensure that the jobs of tomorrow help build a cleaner, safer future by focusing on areas such as renewable power, energy efficiency and green transport.”

The letter also calls on the Prime Minister to ensure that green investment is particularly targeted at young people, who have been especially hard hit by the economic fall-out of the pandemic.

In Copeland, just 28% of homes are well insulated, according to government statistics, with 16% in fuel poverty. 

West Cumbria Friends of the Earth co-ordinator, Dr Ruth Balogh, said: “It's fantastic to see so many Cumbrians wanting the positive changes that green jobs offer. This could be a game-changer for Cumbria.”