Unlocking the potential of towns and people:

widening participation and unlocking talent;

attracting, nurturing and retaining talent in an area;

contributing to social cohesion; and

underpinning population growth strategies.

Driving economic regeneration:

creating a highly skilled workforce, with relevant skills for the local business community;

job creation;

stimulating entrepreneurship; and

engaging with business to solve problems and boost innovation and competitiveness.

Ed Murphy, said “I’m very excited by the prospect of high quality, local university provision in Peterborough. Local people and local businesses would benefit hugely from the jobs, skills and opportunities that it would bring. I am calling for the community to come together with businesses, local education providers and others, to put together a really strong bid to meet the government’s new university challenge to improve Peterborough for everyone.”

John Denham said:

“Never have universities and colleges been more important to our country both nationally in ensuring our success on the world stage and locally in our towns and cities through the creation of jobs and new skills, driving regeneration and enriching cultural life.

“I want to build on the successes of the last few years which have seen new centres of higher education transforming local economies and the lives of local people. We must learn from these success stories and act on the growing evidence that locally based projects play a key role in helping local areas and people realise their potential.

"Communities should have the chance to show they can make the most of the power of higher education, to help unlock the talent of their local people and help make them better off.”

Bids will be assessed against criteria by the higher education funding council. In the last five years, it has committed £100m to these projects. Government funding for the new centres will be allocated out of HEFCE's strategic development fund. In this Comprehensive Spending Review period there is £150 million set aside for this fund. In addition it is expected that projects will attract funding from other sources.

In the last 5 years, the government has committed £100m, and opened or committed to 17 local university campuses or centres.

For more information contact Ed Murphy via the Peterborough Labour Party website.

 

Ed Murphy is the Labour Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Peterborough www.peterboroughlabourparty.com

Peterborough UK Community Website - January 2008