NORTH Cornwall’s MP has criticised the government for its treatment of Cornwall within its ‘pride in place’ funding scheme.

The Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, Ben Maguire, has slammed the government after Cornwall was excluded from the latest round of ‘pride in place’ funding, despite repeated calls from MPs representing high deprivation areas in the Duchy to be included.

The government announced a further 40 communities set to benefit from the scheme, which provides up to £20-million per area over the next decade. However, no towns in Cornwall were selected.

Launched in November 2025, the pride in place programme ‘gives power to local people and partnerships, bringing together residents, the local MP, the council, businesses and community organisations to decide how they would like to shape their area.’

The government has stated that the scheme will see up to £5-billion given to nearly 250 areas across the UK. Each area will receive up to £20-million of funding and support over the next ten years to make long-term improvements that residents want.

The aim for such funding is to allow communities to spend the funding on what matters most to them - from improvements to pavements and high streets to investing in culture and green spaces.

However, with Cornwall being excluded all together, Mr Maguire has hit out at the government, stating that such a decision risks leaving Cornish communities further behind the rest of the country.

Mr Maguire has expressed his disappointment that the snub comes despite his and other Cornish MPs efforts to secure much-needed funding. The region’s MPs met with ministers to press the case for Cornwall, highlighting the clear need for investment in towns facing significant economic challenges.

The MP has also said that he has ‘consistently raised concerns that Cornwall continues to be overlooked by central government funding schemes, despite having some of the most deprived communities in the country’ - including many in his own North Cornwall constituency.

Commenting on the news, Mr Maguire described it as ‘deeply disappointing’ - saying that he is ‘furious’ that Cornwall and the ‘cross-party efforts’ of the region’s MPs have been ignored by ministers.

He said: “This is yet another deeply disappointing decision that sees Cornwall completely overlooked by this Government, and I am furious that ministers have ignored our collective, cross-party efforts.”

The MP added that a number of areas within the Duchy ‘clearly meet’ the criteria required to receive such funding, though somehow the entire county has been left out.

He continued: “Towns like Bodmin clearly meet the criteria for this funding, with some neighbourhoods ranking among the most deprived in the entire country - yet Cornwall has not been allocated a single penny.

“At a time when other funding streams are coming to an end, this continued failure to invest in Cornwall risks leaving our communities further behind, and my constituents are appalled by this latest snubbing.

“I will now be escalating this disastrous decision with urgency. Cornwall just cannot be left behind.”