Some great news for the Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire as a whole thanks to the £11.3 million from the Government’s £900 million ‘Getting Building Fund’, topped up by £450,000 from the Gfirst LEP.
£1.25 million will fund a Digital Innovation Farm at Hartpury University – creating a workspace for businesses to test and trial new products within the agri-tech sector. This will ensure that small and medium sized businesses have access to modern, high-quality facilities, here, in the Forest of Dean to conduct their research.
£1.96 million will also help fund a new Construction Skills Accelerator Centre in Cinderford. The Centre, which is being co-funded by K W Bell Group Ltd, will provide a fantastic training facility in the heart of the Forest of Dean for local young people to learn important skills in construction and find employment with the support of K W Bell Group’s existing client network.
I have pressed Ministers about these schemes and I am very pleased that they have listened to my calls for increased funding for innovative projects in the Forest of Dean.
Investing in education was a key Conservative commitment in the last election and it is great to see that the Government is delivering on this – with £778,391.46 of extra Government funding coming to Mitcheldean’s Dene Magna School and Lydney’s Dean Academy as part of just under £2.5 million of extra funding for schools across Gloucestershire.
The schools have been allocated a share of £560 million in Government funding to expand classrooms and upgrade facilities to provide students with safe environments that support an excellent education.
In addition, Hartpury College of Further Education is set to receive more than £500,000 of extra Government funding to begin immediate work from this September to repair and refurbish its buildings and campuses.
As someone who went to an FE College myself, I’m really pleased to see this funding boost as part of a £200 million package of upgrades for 180 colleges across the country.
This is what having a Conservative Member of Parliament and Conservatives in Government looks like for the Forest of Dean. Millions of pounds in funding for education and fantastic local projects, and I’ll keep pushing for more.