Bradford Council application for £17m may create up to 2,000 vacancies in city centre

11:29am Wednesday 6th July 2011 in News Photograph of the Author By Marc Meneaud, Aire Valley Chief Reporter

Coun David Green says the new bid should be successful Coun David Green says the new bid should be successful

Business chiefs have submitted a scaled-down £17 million bid to create up to 2,000 jobs in Bradford.

The Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which includes Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood, announced yesterday it was bidding for a share of the remaining £850 million from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF).

This includes a submission on behalf of the city centre delivery group to start a scheme to create a central business district next to the City Park.

Councillor David Green said: “What we are looking to do is to secure funding so we can support existing and new retailers in the city and start the first stage of the central business district.”

The latest bid was submitted by the Council on behalf of the Bradford city centre development group. They were left disappointed when a bid for £35m from the RGF was turned down in April, which would have helped start the £58 million Exchange Court scheme to move the magistrates' court from the Tyrls next to the Great Victoria Hotel.

The city centre also missed out as the choice for the Leeds City LEP’s Enterprise Zone, which would have brought tax relief.

However, the district’s regeneration hopes were given a lift when Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told the Telegraph & Argus the Government was consulting on the latest Bradford scheme to make sure the bid for this round of regional funding was “as strong as possible”.

Coun Green, said: “This is not as big a bid as it was previously, as one of the concerns that was raised was that it was too optimistic in how much money we could secure.

“But we believe that the scheme that has now been put forward should be successful.”

The Council’s shadow regeneration spokesman, Councillor Matt Palmer, has raised concerns that the previous bids did not match the Government’s criteria.

Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Council’s Liberal Democrat group, said: “I believe this bid should get Government backing.”

  • Read the full story Wednesday’s T&A

Comments(12)

A Landless Peasant says...
11:44am Wed 6 Jul 11

2000 jobs? I'll believe it when I see it. There are 16,000 people in Bradford living on JSA, all of whom are to soon receive a letter about compulsory "Work Training", which involves working as a full-time slave at a company for one year for no wage. You can, however, still refuse and claim Hardship Allowance instead of full JSA.

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Clowny says...
1:08pm Wed 6 Jul 11

How far is the £17 million going to go and what will be delivered given it's a shortfall of £41 million just on the scheme to move the Magistrates Court?
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Surely the 2000 jobs will only be created (even then it's speculative) once the other £41 million is found, where is that coming from?

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Thee Voice of Reason says...
1:23pm Wed 6 Jul 11

The council appears to act the same way as most of the city.
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When they hear there are handouts to be had, they are there like a shot.

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cylon 2 says...
2:02pm Wed 6 Jul 11

A Landless Peasant wrote:
2000 jobs? I'll believe it when I see it. There are 16,000 people in Bradford living on JSA, all of whom are to soon receive a letter about compulsory "Work Training", which involves working as a full-time slave at a company for one year for no wage. You can, however, still refuse and claim Hardship Allowance instead of full JSA.
Once you recieve that letter it will have your start date for the 2 year course, and where to turn up at. You are then no longer the Jobcentres responsibility, and the provider has sole duristiction over you.

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A Landless Peasant says...
2:13pm Wed 6 Jul 11

cylon 2 wrote:
A Landless Peasant wrote:
2000 jobs? I'll believe it when I see it. There are 16,000 people in Bradford living on JSA, all of whom are to soon receive a letter about compulsory "Work Training", which involves working as a full-time slave at a company for one year for no wage. You can, however, still refuse and claim Hardship Allowance instead of full JSA.
Once you recieve that letter it will have your start date for the 2 year course, and where to turn up at. You are then no longer the Jobcentres responsibility, and the provider has sole duristiction over you.
What will they do when 16,000 people decide to riot? It'll be game over, they'll have to deploy the army. If the provider has diristriction over me then God help them. I will make their lives hell and if I get chance will burn the place to the ground. On the other hand, I may simply refuse and claim Hardship Allowance instead.

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cylon 2 says...
2:29pm Wed 6 Jul 11

From what I got at the Jobcentre, this place called Ingeus is up Vicar Lane, thats the first point of contact, then you are told what you will be doing and where, although you are with a provider, you still sign on at the Jobcentre as usual.
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Sanctions are 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 6 months as before on New Deal.

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A Landless Peasant says...
2:32pm Wed 6 Jul 11

In order to claim Hardship Allowance, you must wait 2 weeks after your last JSA payment then apply. Unless you have kids, then you can claim it straight away. So if single & no kids, you'll need to make it through that 2 weeks somehow, beg, steal or borrow, perhaps a visit to the pawn shop, whatever, but then you can get Hardship Allowance and forget all about the nasty people at the training place. you can get your name down for food parcels from one of the Food Banks, and also get fed at the Sikh temple, amongst other places.

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A Landless Peasant says...
2:37pm Wed 6 Jul 11

cylon 2 wrote:
From what I got at the Jobcentre, this place called Ingeus is up Vicar Lane, thats the first point of contact, then you are told what you will be doing and where, although you are with a provider, you still sign on at the Jobcentre as usual.
.
Sanctions are 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 6 months as before on New Deal.
Bloody hell. I only finished the dreaded NO DEAL at Christmas. I hoped they'd leave me alone for another 2 years as usual. I think it's going to have to be the sanctions for me then, because I just can't do it. Sod 'em. Or I'm still toying with the idea of injury/overdose to get on the sick. We'll see.....

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cylon 2 says...
2:41pm Wed 6 Jul 11

Quote:
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Business chiefs have submitted a scaled-down £17 million bid to create up to 2,000 jobs in Bradford.
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£17 million divided by 2,000 = £8,500 - which, for a 40 hour week = £4.08p an hour.
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That's not even the national minimum wage !!!

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Thee Voice of Reason says...
2:51pm Wed 6 Jul 11

cylon 2 wrote:
Quote: . Business chiefs have submitted a scaled-down £17 million bid to create up to 2,000 jobs in Bradford. . £17 million divided by 2,000 = £8,500 - which, for a 40 hour week = £4.08p an hour. . That's not even the national minimum wage !!!
The £17m is to create jobs not pay for them.

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A Landless Peasant says...
3:04pm Wed 6 Jul 11

Thee Voice of Reason wrote:
cylon 2 wrote:
Quote: . Business chiefs have submitted a scaled-down £17 million bid to create up to 2,000 jobs in Bradford. . £17 million divided by 2,000 = £8,500 - which, for a 40 hour week = £4.08p an hour. . That's not even the national minimum wage !!!
The £17m is to create jobs not pay for them.
Give me £17 million and I'll create my own job.

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Avro says...
8:20am Thu 7 Jul 11

Councillors once again clutching at straws whilst pulling an employment figure from thin air as being the selling tool; very much like the 2,000+ jobs being talked about at Westfield that we've yet to see andwheh the time comes will be no where near the figure quoted!!

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