Greg Clark
Main Page: Greg Clark (Conservative - Tunbridge Wells)Department Debates - View all Greg Clark's debates with the Cabinet Office
(10 years, 6 months ago)
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The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Greg Clark)
Following the successful completion of the first wave of city deals in July 2012 with the “core cities” the Government committed to work with a further 20 cities and their wider areas to negotiate a second wave of city deals in October 2012.
I can today inform the House that the Government, local businesses and civic leaders from Cambridge, south Cambridgeshire and Cambridgeshire have reached agreement on a city deal.
This deal will provide funding through an innovative “gain share” mechanism where the area is rewarded for investing in transport projects that will deliver the greatest economic impact over 15 to 20 years. The agreement will launch a programme to enhance transport capacity, strengthening employment hubs and high-tech clusters through the development of a sustainable transport network that will make movement between them more efficient and convenient.
Substantial new investment in the area will help create a locally responsive skills system, forging stronger links between employers and the education system to deliver the jobs that are needed. Local skills teams will be created to work with small and medium-sized businesses to support development of their training plans and by working more closely with employers and young people, generate increased demand for apprenticeships in areas aligned to key growth sectors.
Business and civic leaders anticipate that the deal will enable accelerated delivery of over 33,000 new homes, deliver an additional 1,000 homes, help create 45,000 new jobs and deliver 1,556 apprenticeships, making this one of the most ambitious city deals to date.
The deal also reaffirms long-term partnerships at a local level and signals that local partners are committed to a step-change in governance which will bring together decision making and funding on strategic transport, housing and economic development issues and enable the local area to take advantage of opportunities such as those presented by east-west rail.