The Mayor of West Yorkshire has established her vision for the future of the region across her second term in office.
Focusing on ‘delivery, delivery, delivery’ the plan is to create a more prosperous future, with this including the reinvigoration of the Sure Start programme. Alongside the Sure Start programme, improvements have also been made across public transport, reducing violent crime, and affordable housing.
1998’s Labour Government were the ones responsible for the original introduction of the Sure Start programme, however, the scheme has been damaged by public spending cuts since 2010. Thanks to the new powers and funding flexibility that has come as part of West Yorkshire’s deeper devolution, Brabin is in discussions with both the Conservatives and Labour over how the programme can be brought back to life.
Some of the other pledges that have been made include:
- Local control of buses and beginning work on a new tram system
- A new skills and training system to form a region of learning and creativity
- Planning to reduce serious crime
- Improving access to culture and sport for all children
- Delivery of 5,000 new affordable homes, as well as working to insulate all social homes
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said:
“We want to grow our economy and ensure our future prosperity benefits the greatest number of people in all of our communities.
“The important role of childcare in our economy is becoming increasingly clear – supporting children’s development and enabling mums and dads to retrain or get back into work. This will benefit those areas where deprivation is at its highest and opportunity is at its lowest.
“Devolution allows us to be creative in how we address local priorities. That is why I will use the new powers and funding flexibility we’re negotiating to create a Sure Start renaissance across West Yorkshire and ensure a brighter future for all.”
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