We asked the county’s MPs for their views on what 2016 holds for Cumbria

Carlisle MP John Stevenson:  At the end of November things were looking extremely optimistic for Carlisle in 2016. We had learnt that we would be getting an Enterprise Zone, that £7 million would go towards developing our airport, and that £15 million would be invested in our railway station. Terrific news, demonstrating that our city is really on the move. Then came the floods – a devastating blow to individuals, families, as well as businesses and schools in our city.

Looking ahead to the coming year is therefore inevitably and sadly tainted by the effects of the floods. Businesses will recover, schools will reopen, and  people will return to their homes – but it has been a heart-breakingly sad time and for many people it will be a while before things get back to normal.

Nevertheless, I am still looking forward with hope, optimism and confidence that 2016 will be a successful year for Carlisle.

Businesses are investing, new opportunities are emerging, and I also think 2016 will be a year that offers real change to Cumbria. If the Council leaders manage to reach agreement with the Government we could see a “Cumbrian Deal” meaning greater access to funding, more accountability, and decisions about Cumbria being made in Cumbria. My personal ambition for the year is to do all I can to help realise this once in a generation opportunity for our county.

The end of 2015 has shown the people of Carlisle and Cumbria to be resilient, united, and persevering. The efforts of those who helped in the initial aftermath of the floods, and continue to help now, both professionals and volunteers, has been astonishing. We will bounce back, and what’s more, I believe we can emerge stronger and in even better shape than before.

Rory Stewart, MP for Penrith and the Border:  The priority for the New Year will still be the flooding. 

This horrifying wall of water – the highest rainfall every experienced in the United Kingdom - has wrecked homes, wiped out businesses, destroyed roads and bridges, threatened lives, and effected over 20,000 people. 

The greatest inspiration for the New Year has been to the role of volunteers – Mountain and Bay rescue, Life Boats, Sea Cadets, and thousands of individuals from community groups and churches who helped to evacuate families, save lives, raise millions in charitable contributions, and look after people, driven out by the floods. 

This work has been supported by the Government, through the army, the Environment Agency, the Police, Fire and Rescue, Highways engineers and there have been visits by many others, including the Prime-Minister, and the Prince of Wales. 

But Cumbria County Council still has to assess over a hundred bridges and roads, repair the smashed A591, build new bridges at Pooley Bridge and Braithwaite, and provide support to six thousand houses, and hundreds of businesses. 

I will be supporting Cumbria County Council through the recovery stage, on behalf of the Government, and leading a commission to review all our flood measures through the Cumbria, including the natural measures we can take upstream. 

The next few months will make great calls on people’s energy, their understanding and their patience. And for many families and businesses, life will never quite be the same. 

But I enter the New Year, deeply proud to have seen the energy, stoicism, and compassion shown by so many thousands of Cumbrians over the last few weeks.

Workington MP Sue Hayman:  I would like the Government to take on board the flooding issues which have been raised with them in recent weeks.

We need a holistic approach to how to deal with floods – both now and in the future, and it is imperative that we see proper support in place for all those who have been affected by the devastating flooding.

In the New Year, I will particularly be looking at how we can overhaul the flooding insurance industry, as far too many of my constituents are suffering from huge excesses now that the flood waters have receded.

I was elected on a pledge to do everything I can to support our local health services, and I will continue to work both in parliament and locally to do this.

I want to see Simon Stevens’ NHS Success Regime delivering what our local community needs, providing the Cumbrian population with a bespoke fit-for-purpose healthcare system.

I will continue to meet with Health Ministers over this, and ensure that my constituents get the healthcare system they want and deserve.

The recent floods have highlighted our poor transport infrastructure, and this magnifies the need to retain vital health services as close to peoples’ homes as possible, and I will be working and lobbying hard to ensure that transport links into and within the county are improved – both road and rail.

Transport is key to improving healthcare in West Cumbria and improvements are essential for the forthcoming nuclear investment at Moorside.

Westmorland MP and leader of Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron: The devastating impact of Storm Desmond is rightly in the thoughts of all Cumbrians at this time, as local residents and businesses look to recover from this disaster. 

My immediate efforts will continue to be focused on ensuring that we get the resources we need to help individuals return to normality and to restore the area’s infrastructure, in particular the A591. 

I will also look to ensure that funds are provided so that the government does all it can to prevent similar floods in the future.

Looking forward to 2016, my focus will be the campaign to bring radiotherapy services to Westmorland General Hospital. At the moment this is being held up by a national radiotherapy capacity review, which I am pushing the government to publish so we can move forward. 

Each time I meet local people who have had to travel for hours on end each day in the midst of their illness to get to Preston, my determination to get these services in South Lakeland increases. 

The government’s own guidelines suggest that nobody should live more than 45 minutes from radiotherapy services, yet almost all South Lakeland residents live beyond this. 

The government cannot be allowed to overlook rural areas in this way, and I will continue to fight to ensure that we have access to the services we need.

Recent events have shown the true community spirit and gritty resilience of local residents, and I am incredibly proud to continue representing our area in the year ahead.

Copeland MP Jamie Reed did not respond.