I believe passionately in levelling up Cheltenham. Long before the phrase was being widely circulated, I spoke about the urgent moral mission to spread opportunity in our town.
It was the driving impetus behind my cyber vision. How could it be right, I thought, that three neighbourhoods in Cheltenham were in the bottom ten per cent of income per person in the whole country? And how could it make sense that one of them was close to GCHQ, the focus quite rightly of so much taxpayer investment?
So I really welcome the latest chapter in our collective mission: Gloucestershire County Council’s investment in a Levelling Up Together fund.
The grant is aimed squarely at the areas in Gloucestershire that are the most deprived nationally. It allows community groups and organisations in St Paul's and St. Mark's to apply for a share of £1.5million for projects that will improve wellbeing, skills and employability locally.
People living in all Cheltenham’s neighbourhoods are full of the same potential, talent, and enthusiasm - they just need to be given the same opportunities as others.
So now we need the creative ideas to boost these communities from the people who live there and know them best. If you or someone you know could put cash to good use to upgrade a community building in St Paul’s for example, please apply. The deadline is Sunday 27 November.
Huge progress has already been made. Take for instance the new £3m Advanced Digital Academy at Gloucestershire College in Hester’s Way. It is now the base for the UK's first-ever GCHQ/NCSC-accredited cyber skills course. That is creating life-changing opportunities in the epicentre of need.
I always knew the fast-growing cyber sector could help with the fight against deprivation, providing a better future for young people who may not have had the easiest start in life, but are prepared to work hard to fulfil their potential.
We must not let up in our mission to build a Cheltenham economy for the future, one which harnesses the potential of all.
