North Cornwall MP Scott Mann has welcomed the announcement of funding for two multi-million-pound projects in the North Cornwall constituency from the government’s Get Building Fund (GBF). Both schemes are ‘shovel ready’ and should be completed within the next eighteen months.
Firstly, £3.7m has been awarded to Truro and Penwith College in order for the college to co-invest in and build the Cornwall Skills Centre on Truro and Penwith College-owned land at the Callywith campus.
Half of all students at the college study vocational courses and Callywith has celebrated 100% pass rates on Applied Science, Art & Design, Photography, IT, Media and Games.
Commenting on the funding package, Scott Mann MP said:
“I have been a firm supporter of Callywith, and I was very proud that the college was rated outstanding all six areas in recent Ofsted inspection; the only one in the country to be rated so highly.
“Having a centre of excellence for maths and science on our doorstep will improve the life chances of young people in North Cornwall. It is something that young people and parents have told me they wanted while on the doorstep, and therefore it was a key election pledge for me last December – one which I am delighted to be able to deliver on.”
The government’s commitment to North Cornwall has also been reflected in a £3.1m investment in Project Generation Capacity & Infrastructure in the Davidstow cheese factory, which was recently acquired by the Canadian firm, Saputo. The funding will go towards improving the capacity of the site and enhancing the infrastructure.
This project plans for cheese (and associated Demin Whey) volumes to increase by 12,000t over the next 3 years with a further 4,000t of GOS (a form of prebiotic) being produced primarily for export markets. In order to secure this growth in a sustainable way investment will be provided into supporting infrastructures that will be able to both drive increased capacity whilst ensuring environmental compliance. This will safeguard 200 jobs and save over 4000kg of carbon emissions.
Scott Mann MP said:
“There is a huge demand for Cornish cheese in both the UK and international market, as Chairman of the all-party cheese group in Parliament I have promoted this North Cornwall success story and lobbied hard to ensure that our North Cornwall dairy is put at the forefront of the UK’s trade policy. The US market is particularly appealing; US cheese tariffs are 17% at present and a reduction in the tariff could see even greater demand.
“This investment supports the plant itself, to increase production to meet export demand which we anticipate will come after the Brexit transition. It is equally as important that this investment will also support the wider supply chain of dairy farmers who supply Davidstow, the vast majority of whom are based right here in North Cornwall.”
The funding of the two projects in North Cornwall is part of the government’s comprehensive plan to deliver upgrades to local infrastructure and boost skills to help fuel a green economic recovery.
Over 300 successful projects in England are being told they will receive a share of the £900 million Getting Building Fund, which was announced by the Prime Minister in June, to invest in shovel-ready housing and infrastructure projects, creating jobs and supporting economic recovery across the country. The investment is expected to deliver up to 45,000 homes, create up to 85,000 jobs and reduce around 65 million kgs of CO2 emissions across England.
Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:
“As we get Britain building we are also laying the foundations for a green economic recovery by investing in vital infrastructure for local communities, creating jobs and building environmentally-friendly homes with a huge £1.3 billion investment announced today. This government is determined to level up all parts of the country and this funding will not only give a much-needed boost to our economic recovery, it will help build the good quality, affordable homes the country needs.”
ENDS
Further info:
Getting Building Fund: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/getting-building-fund
£1.3 billion investment to deliver homes, infrastructure and jobs: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-3-billion-investment-to-deliver-homes-infrastructure-and-jobs
*This page was amended on 11/08/20 to correct the STEM centre funding stream.
