The town of Barrow-in-Furness developed rapidly in the mid 19th Century around iron and steel and shipbuilding. Indeed the town still relies heavily on submarine building, together with other naval and commercial shipbuilding capability. The closure of the steelworks in 1985 and substantial job losses in local shipbuilding in the early 1990's resulted in economic difficulties for the Borough. Through the development of strong local partnerships and a determined willingness to tackle these problems the Borough is now moving forward again.