CONCERNS have been raised that the Cotswolds is missing out on millions of pounds of cash to boost business and economic development.

While parts of Gloucestershire are set to reap the benefits from a £62.5million local growth deal from the Government, calls have been made for more investment in the Cotswolds.

GFirst LEP (Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership) has agreed a historic Growth Deal with the Government which will see a multimillion-pound investment in the county over the next few years.

Gloucestershire is one of the biggest winners in the national scheme as it has been awarded all of the money it asked for.

The deal will include delivering Growth Hub services in locations across the county, further develop the Growth Zone on the M5 corridor and deliver some key transport projects across Gloucestershire.

But while councillors in the Cotswolds agree this is great news for the county as a whole, they feel more investment needs to be made in the north of the district.

County Councillor Nigel Moor said he would like to see more investment in the future for the Fosseway and a growth hub at the Fire Service College aimed at small and medium-sized businesses.

Speaking at Stow and Moreton Town Council meetings over the last week, he said: "My disappointment is that when you go through the bid, it's very focused on Cheltenham and Gloucester.

"We have to get the Cotswolds much further up the agenda in terms of infrastructure and investment in this area. It's good news but it's got to be an incentive to us.

"Gloucestershire overall it's a very good result in terms of supporting growth, new jobs and new growth overall."

Chipping Campden Town Councillor John Ellis said: “The many housing developments going on around here are not being taken into account when taking about priorities for any highways improvements.

“The schemes they listed were entirely Gloucester and Cheltenham. We really need more emphasis on rail and better structure in the North here.”

David Owen, Chief Executive, GFirst LEP said: "The support provided by the Strategic Economic Plan is county wide, before the plan was submitted to Government GFirst LEP undertook many consultations with each district, whose involvement was key to the development of ideas that made the plan so successful.

"Government was keen to see projects that would provide county development, not entirely based on specific locations, but would continue to support the huge momentum already achieved within Gloucestershire as a whole.

"In securing £62.5million of investment, the Growth deal announcement now empowers GFirst LEP and relationships with the private, public and voluntary sectors to be even stronger.