On Tuesday of this week, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Youth Employment, of which I am Chair, held our first evidence session of an Inquiry into the Impact of Vocational Qualifications on Young People’s Employability and Labour Market Outcomes.
I was delighted to invite Charlie Deane, the CEO and Principle of Bury College, to share his vision and experience as to how we use the broadest range of academic and vocational training to ensure equality of opportunity for all. Planning permission has recently been granted for the college’s new £6 million Health, Innovation and STEM Centre, which will be a driver for economic growth and allow young people to gain the essential skills needed to secure employment. A fine example of how national government, working with partners in Bury, are delivering on our shared determination to level up opportunity for all.
I will continue to lobby Ministers in support of the college’s joint bid for Institute of Technology status, which, if received, will deliver further academic and vocational training opportunities for young people in our area.
In my view, this highlights the crucial duty of a Member of Parliament to work with those institutions within their constituency that can deliver real change and positive outcomes for residents. Another fine example of how this approach is working within Bury North was Wednesday’s announcement, by the Chancellor, that we had been successful in our bid to the Levelling Up Fund for £20 million to transform Bury Market, with the building of a flexi-hall to drive regeneration throughout the whole town centre. This will be supported by over £5 million of funding from Bury Council and is an incredibly exciting project that will make a real difference.
I lobbied Ministers continuously in the run-up to the announcement and am delighted that through partnership with our local council, I could deliver this enormous financial investment that will benefit everyone locally. Creating employment, strengthening the cultural and leisure offer within the town, promoting well-being, providing enhanced mental health support together with many other positive outcomes for Bury people and businesses.
Local politicians in Bury should embrace partnership working as there is so much we can achieve together. Over the last 18 months, central government has provided over £120 million in additional funding to our local council to support businesses, the vulnerable and front-line services. We must all play our part to ensure the sacrifices made during the pandemic lead to a bold, ambitious future for everyone in Bury.
