Essex MP calls on Govt. to ensure our county doesn't miss out on 'levelling-up projects'
Giles Watling MP wants local businesses to be given construction contracts in Freeport East
An Essex MP is calling on the Government and others to ensure that our county doesn't miss out on upcoming 'levelling-up projects'.
It's after Norfolk and Suffolk were given bespoke devolution deals, along with funding packages in December.
While Freeport East, which stretches from Felixstowe to Harwich, got the final green light from Government, this week.
"I've got the most deprived ward out of anywhere in the country"
Giles Watling is the MP for Clacton
He has three demands:
"One, make sure the Freeport looks our way. Two, make sure the levelling-up agenda looks our way. The third issue, that I've been campaigning for ever since I was a councillor, it's that on the edge of my constituency (Clacton), we have got Essex University which is a power-house, but for obvious reasons it's always tended to be London facing."
"Because it is, and there's no denying it, an economic powerhouse, it's extraordinarily wealthy by many other counties standards people intend to think leave it alone it's fine.
"But if you go to the coast you will find pockets of deprivation that's as true of Clacton as it is of Ramsgate, Margate or anywhere else".
"I have got, and I'm not proud of this and it's something that we're addressing, I've got the most deprived ward out of anywhere in the country, in my constituency.
"I want that addressed, there is work going on there, there's a fabulous £4.5 million market being built, along with new housing. But its still not quite addressing the problem. There needs to be better communications, we need to create work and close the skills-gap".
"I will fight alongside these business people"
Mr Watling wants local business to be at the heart of the newly established economic zone, Freeport East:
"There are going to be supply-chain issues, we have wonderful companies who produce things like railway station platforms, lets see them get involving in supplying what the port's going to need lets see them get the contracts.
"I will fight alongside these business people to make sure our small, medium and large businesses get the deal they deserve."