Harry Cohen
THE OMEGA SITE
Creating skilled, well paid jobs is vital to the future of Warrington and I know from talking to people in my constituency that they want to see a secure future for their children.
That’s why I was pleased, last week, to be able to see the exhibition on the planned development of the Omega site. By all accounts, I wasn’t the only one because the staff there told me that a lot of people had been in to look at the plans and make suggestions.
It’s never easy developing a big site like this and we have to get it right but I believe it represents a great opportunity for us in the future. Warrington has done well in attracting companies to invest in the area but many of our people are still in low-paid work. What we need to do now is to bring in jobs which need skilled people and are well paid and secure and we have to ensure that the necessary training is in place to equip local people to take advantage of those jobs. That’s why I was pleased to hear that some schools have already visited Omega so that young people can get an idea of what will be on offer for them in the future.
I’ve already raised this in parliament and, last week, I asked Nigel Griffiths, who is a minister in the Department of Trade and Industry, if he would liaise with other government departments to make sure that people in Warrington would benefit from future developments here. Nigel told me that, at my request, he had been talking to ministers in the department for Education & Skills and the Department of Transport about Omega. I was glad to hear it because we have to make sure that, as Omega is developed our young people gain the skills to benefit from those jobs and we develop our public transport systems around it.
I know that ministers are sympathetic but we have to take a long term view and lobby for more money for skills training and transport links to make sure the Omega site benefits the public.
It’s going to be a long haul but I think it is a worthwhile one and I’ll be returning to this issue in parliament in the future. I would welcome your views.
You can contact Helen Jones in the following ways: by phone 01925 232 480; by fax 01925 232 239; by e-mail jonesh@parliament.uk; or by post Gilbert Wakefield House, 67 Bewsey Street, Warrington, WA2 7JQ.
