Local residents won't benefit city centre jobs boom

10.14.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 25th Oct 2007

Broadway buildings being demolished

Leading Councillor David Ward (Lib Dem) is angry that it is looking increasing unlikely that local residents and businesses will benefit from the predicted jobs boom that the rebuilding of the city centre should bring.

"It seems to me that the chances of opportunities permeating down to local businesses are limited and should any local people benefit from jobs or training it will be nothing more than a chance occurrence" said David Ward.

He continued, "In 2003, the Council predicted a "jobs boom" for the district and has had every opportunity to make sure the council and all its partners are well prepared to take advantage of the job and business opportunities that the redevelopment should bring. £22 million pounds of public money was spent to make sure that the project could go ahead but that had strings attached. It looks as if the Council hasn't got organised to make sure that the strings were actually tied and that the clause in the development contract is too weak to force the issue.

Jeanette Sunderland, Chair of Regen 2000, a local regeneration board who invested £1.5 million pounds in the project on behalf of Yorkshire Forward, is calling for the council to develop an action plan to make sure that local people and businesses benefit.

She said, "In 2002 we (Regen 2000) presented to the Council a paper that clearly identified the route map to success. At that time even conservative estimates were predicting a spend of over a £1 billion pounds on regeneration projects. We presented evidence from other local authorities and a strategic framework for the delivery of different pathways that would have led local people and businesses straight to the heart of the project. This, it seems, despite reports to committees of the council, has not yet been developed. This is extremely disappointing. There is lots of activity on the ground but no real plan to make sure that it works."

David Ward, Chair of the Bradford North Area Committee is calling for the Action Plan to be presented to them.

He said, "It is extremely worrying that a year ago we were presented with a report that said everything is on track and yet almost a year on we learn that what is on offer is very limited and unlikely to benefit local people and businesses. This must not be allowed to continue - it is up to the council now to provide some real leadership. I am sure that Westfield and all of their sub contractors will want to step up to the mark and prove themselves as people who wants to work in partnership and deliver real outcomes for the city not just bricks and mortar."