BUSINESS leaders and politicians have been left disappointed and annoyed as the west of the county has once again missed out on key growth funding to Bournemouth and Poole.

The Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has received £19.5 million of government funding to help create jobs and boost the economy.

Local Growth Minister Andrew Percy visited Bournemouth yesterday to announce the financial support.

Once again though, the funding has mostly gone towards projects in Bournemouth and Poole.

The first batch of Growth Deal funding for Dorset was in July 2014 but Weymouth, which had at the time been seeking funding for harbour improvements, missed out. Portland's Jurassica was the only project in the area to get money.

A further £12.5 million was announced in 2015, bringing the total funding to £98.5 million. Almost £1 million from the 2015 round of funding went towards agri-tech facilities at Kingston Maurward College.

For the most part however, the west has lost out as funding is concentrated on the east of the county.

Projects announced yesterday include a new business district in Lansdowne, Bournemouth, a housing development at Holes Bay in Poole, and transport improvements for Gillingham.

Projects looking for funding in this area include development at Weymouth College, the town's flood defences and the masterplan.

Leader of Weymouth & Portland Borough Council Cllr Jeff Cant said: “We have huge ambitions for the borough. It is very disappointing that, despite the wide recognition of the fact that this is the most deprived area in the county and historically one of the deprived coastal areas that the government has specifically identified as targets for support, this has once again not been recognised in the distribution of this very substantial source of funding.

“We made a powerful case for support and despite our disappointment we will continue to urgently press ahead with our plans for regeneration and to press for tangible support in any future Growth Deal bids. We will be seeking urgent discussions with the LEP which brings together and prioritises these bids to understand how they intend to support our future ambitious plans and give our community the support it so richly deserves.”

The council's economic spokesman Cllr James Farquharson added: "It's not right to say I'm disappointed, I'm particularly annoyed.

"They call themselves Dorset LEP, there's a good case to bring to the trade descriptions, it is Bournemouth and Poole LEP.

"If it is Dorset LEP it has a responsibility to the rest of the county.

"There have been a number of bids put to the LEP (from this area), I would like to see why they rejected them, why they overlooked them in favour of projects in Bournemouth and Poole.

"The token funding it has offered the rest of the county since it was created is insulting in its relative insignificance."

South Dorset MP Richard Drax, said he was disappointed that two bids in particular in Weymouth failed failed to get funding.

He said: "While I'm glad to see Dorset is getting money, I'm disappointed that Weymouth has not got any money for flood defences, which we submitted. The college (Weymouth) has not got any of the £6 million it bid for and I'm disappointed about that."

He added: "I think the third round only reinforces in my view that Weymouth and Portland in particular must establish a working party with members coming from major elements of business and the working community to plan for the next 50, 60 or 70 years. Once this is founded we can start to push hard for some money with a vision that will create jobs, wealth and prosperity for the future."

DORSET LEP chairman Gordon Page said the funding is calculated by a government formula and projects in the conurbation, due to the amount of jobs and growth they can produce, are more likely to get support.

He said: "The whole process is a competitive one. If you can imagine an area like Bournemouth and what it can probably put forward.

"We start of with a clean sheet of paper, there is no bias whatsoever."

Mr Page said the LEP has written to the government regarding issues with the formula and unfairness towards rural communities.

He also said that around £250,000 from the key capital enhancements to Dorset tourist attractions will go towards helping complete four major projects in the west.

These are Shire Hall in Dorchester, The Mary Anning Wing at Lyme Regis Museum, the LSI in Bridport and Swanage Pier.

Phil Gordon, chairman of Dorchester BID, said that the announcement was "very disappointing" and called on the LEP to liaise with businesses in the west of the county to see how they could work better together.