Bradford councillors back leader's bid to get funds (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford councillors back leader's bid to get funds

9:21am Monday 15th March 2010 in

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Bradford Council leader Kris Hopkins has called for all-party support for a motion asking the next Government to put Bradford at the head of the queue for future job creation schemes.

Councillor Hopkins, leader of the Conservative group, has tabled the White Paper Motion, called New Employment Opportunities for Bradford District, to be debated at next week’s meeting of the full Council.

The motion will ask for a report to be prepared for the incoming Government after the General Election, outlining why the Bradford district should receive more support.

Coun Hopkins said he believed it was vital for the Council to act now and stand together on a cross-party basis in the district to give itself the best possible opportunity to attract more jobs and investment in the months ahead.

He said: “The most up-to-date official statistics showed that 48,930 residents across the district were claiming out-of-work benefits, 25,000 households had no adult in employment and 6,500 16 to 24-year-olds were unemployed.

“In recent months we have seen the Government pump significant sums of public money into the North East, South Yorkshire and the Midlands to protect or create jobs. However, areas like Bradford district have received nothing like these levels of support.”

The Council’s Labour group leader, Councillor Ian Greenwood, said his party would support any attempt to get jobs into Bradford.

But he added: “This is an attempt for Coun Hopkins to bolster his rapidly failing attempt to become Member of Parliament for Keighley.

“This is the politicisation of something which should be in fact non-partisan.”

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Council’s Liberal Democrats group, was also critical of the timing of Coun Hopkins’ motion. “It is a last-minute gesture and the public will see through it,” she said.

The Council meeting, open to the public, is at City Hall, Bradford, on Tuesday, March 23, at 4pm.