A BUSINESS leader has hit out after Cornwall was not included in a new government £5billion investment programme to revitalise the most deprived areas across the UK.

John Brown, the CEO of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, is angry the Duchy is not on list of areas that will receive a share of the Pride in Place programme funding.

He says Cornish communities have been left “underinvested” despite being central to the future powering clean energy, producing critical minerals, feeding the nation, and driving a visitor economy that contributes billions

Mr Brown believes Cornwall Council and Cornish MPs should be “battering down” ministerial doors, making the case for why the county deserves its share of the investment.

The government Pride of Place programme is investing in 339 "overlooked" communities across the UK to spend on boosting high streets, parks and public spaces.

Funding will allow local people to decide where and how money is spent in their area.

Mr Brown said: “I’m angry. Properly angry.

“The government has just announced a £5 billion Pride in Place programme to lift up communities across the country and Cornwall isn’t even on the list. Not a penny. Once again, Cornwall is left standing outside in the cold while others are invited in to share the spoils.

“This should infuriate every single one of us. Cornwall isn’t a side note in Britain’s story. We are central to the future powering clean energy, producing critical minerals, feeding the nation, and driving a visitor economy that contributes billions. And yet, when it comes to investment, we’re ignored. That isn’t just disappointing, it’s insulting.

“What makes it worse is that while government is handing out billions elsewhere, our own council is still distracted by performative politics. Pursuing fifth nation status might make for good headlines, but Keir Starmer has ruled it out. Instead of chasing symbolic gestures, Cornwall Council and our MPs should be battering down ministerial doors, making the case for why Cornwall deserves its share of serious investment.

“Let me be blunt: it’s of course welcome for the Chancellor to point to National Wealth Fund investments in our mines and manufacturing hubs, but if the communities around them are left underinvested, then the opportunity won't be realised. You cannot raise the ceiling of Cornwall if you refuse to lift the floor beneath our people. Without decent housing, affordable transport, and high streets that thrive, we won’t have the workforce to seize these industrial opportunities.

“I asked at full council only a week ago whether there was an operational plan for taking on more powers, or even an economic impact assessment to understand what we stand to gain or lose. There was nothing. That’s not strategy it’s a lack of seriousness at the very moment we need to be dead serious.

“Let’s build a clear, concise, investable case for Cornwall that shows ministers and markets alike why we are not just worth funding, but impossible to ignore.

“Cornwall has the assets. Cornwall has the ambition. What we lack is leadership brave enough to stop playing to the gallery and start fighting for the prize. So here is my demand: get a grip, get serious, and get Cornwall its fair share. Only then can we get on with building the beautiful, fair, regenerative Cornish economy our people deserve.”