A councillor is furious after Dorset missed out again on a huge government funding boost - this time a £36 billion investment into transport projects.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said money from scrapping the HS2 project will be spread across the UK on a new transport initiative, Network North, for rail, road and bus schemes.

The majority of the funding will be going to the North of England but some projects in the south east and south west will benefit.

There looks to be a total of 11 projects awarded funding in the south west including in Chippenham, Melksham, Bristol and Exeter - however there are no plans for Dorset’s network.

As reported by the Echo last week, Dorset missed out on the Government's £1billion levelling up funds for 'left behind towns.' Local councils were not invited to bid for this as the funds were allocated by central governement.

Weymouth town councillor Matt Bell claimed Dorset was a "glaring empty space on the Network North map".

He said: “My fury isn’t just about Weymouth and Portland missing out on the £1billion for left behind towns fund while similar towns such as Hastings, Bexhill and Torquay benefit."

Speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the town council, Cllr Bell said the issue is about 'a lack of representation and effective lobbying for the needs of Weymouth, Portland and the wider South Dorset area', over a sustained period of time.

He said: “Several areas in Weymouth and Portland are in the 10% most deprived nationally on the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

“There are good people and councillors in the area with a strong and vibrant visions for the future of the area related to development, transport and employment, but they lack the funds to implement them.

“We need a stronger voice so that we are not repeatedly missed out. Network North is set to redistribute £36 billion around the country and all we get is a cap on bus fares for a limited period. Other areas are due to get major infrastructure improvement."

The councillor said there are key questions to be asked as to who is representing Dorset’s needs in government effectively, and why the largest centre of population (Weymouth and Portland) in Dorset Council’s area has no representation on the DC cabinet.

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said funds available for Network North were not granted in a bidding process, and their understanding is that the funding was ‘allocated to projects already in development.’

“While it’s disappointing not to see any of the Network North money, we don’t expect to receive funding from every single government project that comes around.

“Dorset Council has already received significant funding from central government for various projects, and we’re hopeful this will continue in the future."

Weymouth received more than £19m worth of 'levelling up' funding in January to regenerate the harbour area.