Good things come to those who work and lobby hard and never give in.
From almost the first day after I was elected in 2005 I have been pressing the government for extra funds for local schools. Last week they announced that more than £80m will be devoted to completing the secondary schools improvement programme across Gateshead.
This will mean major redevelopments at Whickham, St Thomas More and Joseph Swan schools as well as the development of a new school in the outer west of my constituency. There needs to be in depth dialogue and consultation with all concerned about these proposals to ensure that this huge cash injection is used to its maximum benefit.
Overall, this new funding is great news for pupils, parents, teachers and the whole community. These schools will now be better able to match the commitment and dedication of their teachers with state-of-the-art facilities.
It will allow us to build on the tremendous improvements in standards and results that have been achieved over the last decade.
It's also very good news for local employment with new jobs, apprenticeships and a shot in the arm for the region's builders who need new business to recover from the recession.
And there are opportunities further afield for them and other companies. I have been trying to encourage trade with Iraqi Kurdistan, which is safe and stable. Iraqi Kurdistan wants British companies to trade with them and invest. This can also help us to regain economic strength as we emerge from the recession. The Kurds have a great regard for Great Britain and their emerging market offers many opportunities for local and national companies. English is also widely spoken there.
Talking of English, if I were to write that I favoured across the piece, bottom-up blue sky thinking to boost area-based capacity building, obviate disbenefits and advocate holistic joined up governance going forward you would understandably think I was talking gibberish.
Yet many of these words are used in official and management papers. They are also on the banned list of jargon produced by the Local Government Association. I commend their initiative in insisting that all official documents are in plain English and promise to do so myself, going forward!
Newcastle Chronicle and Journal
| Promoted by Paul Foy on behalf of Dave Anderson, both of St Cuthbert's Church Hall, Shibdon Road, Blaydon, NE21 5PT |