The chief executive of Cornwall's Chamber of Commerce has declared he is "properly angry" following Cornwall's exclusion from a roster of regions set to receive £5bn in government funding.
The Prime Minister has unveiled a Pride in Place initiative designed to assist communities in choosing unity over division.
Under the scheme, 169 locations will secure £2m annually for 10 years, providing long-neglected communities with the certainty and authority required to plan ahead.
An additional 95 areas will obtain an immediate £1.5m to enhance public spaces through new green areas, play facilities and sports and leisure amenities.
Residents will determine how the funding is allocated - revitalising high streets, rejuvenating parks, and injecting fresh life into pubs, leisure centres and community venues, reports .
This represents renewal in practice, spearheaded by those who understand their localities most intimately.
Communities will also acquire fresh powers to commandeer vacant shops, prevent problematic enterprises, and purchase cherished local assets before closure – restoring pride and cohesion across the nation.
However, according to John Brown, chief executive of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, Cornwall has been omitted from the list.
'That isn't just disappointing, it's insulting'
He said: "I'm angry. Properly angry. 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 yesterday 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 highstreets 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. ".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "For too long, people have watched their towns and streets decline – powerless to stop boarded-up shops and neglected parks. That ends now.
"We're investing in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's future, by backing the true patriots that build our communities up in neighbourhoods across every corner of the country. Because it's people who bring pride, hope and life to our communities.
"This is a huge investment, but what matters most is who decides how it's spent: the neighbours, volunteers and parents who know their communities best – the people with real skin in the game.
"We're choosing renewal over decline, unity over division. This is our Plan for Change in action – giving power and pride back to the people who make Britain great."
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, said building pride in place "starts with people, not politics".
"Local people know what they want to see in their neighbourhoods – and they don't need government to dictate it," he said.
"This plan will spark an historic grassroots movement that will restore local people's power, boost national pride and help people get on in life across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ as part of our Plan for Change."
Meanwhile, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, said the money would give people the power to transform their towns.
"This £5bn investment doesn't just reverse decades of underinvestment in our public infrastructure – it cuts through the bureaucracy by giving local people the power to deliver the change they want to see," she added.
