£850 million vision for the future of Staffordshire

Building Staffordshire's Future could bring over £850 million into the county over a ten-year period. The Manifesto sets out how we would make the best possible use of the money available from the Government's Building Schools for the Future and Primary Capital Programmes.

Deputy Leader, and Cabinet lead for children and young people, County Councillor Robert Simpson said: "We have been given this once in a lifetime opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of young people today and for many generations to come".

"The initial focus will be on transforming how young people learn and are taught. New learning environments will also emerge from this programme. But it is about much more than bricks and mortar. It is about the future of Staffordshire.

He added: "The scale of the task and challenges ahead are captured within the Manifesto. We believe that we have the passion, commitment and experience to see through the improvements needed. Change is never easy, which is why we have been working closely with education experts from around the county for over a year now to make sure we are going in the right direction. We will continue to listen to young people, parents and our colleagues in schools to shape this programme so it meets local needs".

The county council recently announced that it has been invited by the Government to submit an early bid to the Building Schools for the Future programme. Tamworth has been the area selected as that upon which the bid will be based. The deadline is 11 April to submit the bid document.  If successful, building work in Tamworth could begin in 2011 with around £100 million being invested in secondary education.

County Councillor Simpson said: "A considerable amount of work has gone into our preparations to join the programme. We expect to know the outcome of our bid in June. The County Council will be hosting a second conference on Building Staffordshire's Future in the Autumn. This is part of our continuing work to make this vital investment work for the people of Staffordshire'.