This week's MP column is written by Bradford West MP Naz Shah
It feels like we are turning a corner with the way a national government sees Bradford's potential.
But as a local MP, I am keen to keep pushing to ensure Bradford gets the investment and support to truly thrive as a major Northern city with untapped potential.
In the past few weeks, we have seen some positive news in Bradford West.
Firstly, the University of Bradford will lead a new Robotic Adoption Hub in Yorkshire, backed by £2.7 million of Government investment.
This was a highly competitive funding process, and Bradford’s success proves that our city leads in innovation, and is ready for the demands of the future.
Moreover, £13.3 million of Government funding is being invested into heat networks, including the Shuttleworth House network here in Bradford West.
The grant will work to improve heat network performance in Bradford, and is part of the Government’s mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower and achieve clean power by 2030.
And Merchants House Hotel will stop operating as an asylum hotel by the end of the year.
This illustrates the ongoing success of the Labour Government’s commitment to close asylum hotels, and I am excited for Bradford to reclaim their hotels as they wish.
Bradford West MP Naz Shah (Image: UGC)
I welcome all of these amazing initiatives, and I’m excited to see how Bradford West will continue to prosper.
What we need now more than ever, though, is more investment into Bradford’s infrastructure, industries and local communities, and I have been advocating for this since becoming an MP.
However, this investment will only deliver if people want to stay and share in it.
If young families, graduates and skilled workers can’t find a suitable and affordable home here, they will look to build their future elsewhere, and any long-term investment into Bradford’s infrastructure, industries and local communities will not reach the very people that it intends to serve.
Long-term investment into Bradford is not worthwhile if the city is not keeping its talents.
Having lived without a secure home, moving from place to place with nowhere to call my own, I understand the toll it takes on mental health, and the lack of belonging that comes with it.
This brings me to the question: what do people in Bradford need to build a secure life here?
To me, the recurring answer is a secure and affordable home.
When Andy Burnham entered Downing Street in July, his first policy pledge addressed ending rough sleeping.
In August, backed by increased funding of £442 million.
The Prime Minister and the Housing Secretary, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, made a promise to provide every rough sleeper with a route off the streets by Christmas.
No doubt, this is an ambitious target, but when in a country like ours, people are still sleeping on the streets, with no way out, we need courage to change the way things currently are.
This Government is proving that housing is a priority, by making housing a priority from day one.
Not just backing it with words, but also with funding.
There are over 20,000 people waiting to be housed in Bradford, and the demand for social housing outstrips supply.
Many rely on the private sector to compensate for the lack of public housing stock.
During the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool last month, the Prime Minister announced plans to restore the public housing stock, the biggest council housing programme since the post-war era.
The Housing Secretary announced powers to bring long-term empty homes back into use, and to make it easier for councils to buy homes when providers sell them.
This allows local leaders to tackle homelessness, and ultimately reduce reliance on temporary accommodation.
This is a major shift.
The Prime Minister has given councils new powers regarding housing, and put public control of housing back on the agenda.
Furthermore, young people are struggling to get on the property ladder, with ongoing responsibilities of paying bills, paying off student loans and trying to save for their future.
With nearly 55% of my constituents in Bradford West under the age of 35, we must continue to tackle the issue of housing so that every young person can see a future for themselves here, in a home they can afford.
This is why Your First Home, the Government’s new first-time buyer scheme in England will help young people to get on the property ladder, by offering new-build homes for at least 30% of the market value taken off the price.
It will help to break down the deposit barrier for those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford their first home.
This directly links to the Government’s pledge of public housing reform, more affordable options for first-time buyers, and a housing system that works for young families, graduates and apprentices.
The Government’s new £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme is a testament to that, being the largest investment in social and affordable housing in a generation.
The past few weeks have shown what a Government-backed Bradford West can achieve: investment in our university, help with energy bills for residents, and a clear commitment on asylum hotels.
But with this, the Prime Minister and Housing Secretary have repeatedly shown that housing is the Government’s priority.
Although Bradford West was not allocated any social housing investment in its first round, I will continue to advocate for my constituency to be a part of this programme in its later stages.
I will continue to push for further investment into Bradford West, not just in its infrastructures and industries, but in its housing, as the success in any city, and especially mine, will always start in a secure and affordable home.