Talking politics

David Rutley

Conservative MP for Macclesfield IT’S good to see strong support for the vision of a Northern Powerhouse. I was fortunate to secure a recent Parliamentary debate on “Government support for businesses in the North of England” to underline the importance of this strategy.

Science, which is vital for our local economy, is an integral part of that vision. The final report from the successful Alderley Park Taskforce (of which I was fortunate to be a member) was praised by the Science Minister, Greg Clark, at a recent meeting in London.

The Minister paid tribute to the Taskforce’s achievements over the last 18 months. He highlighted how Manchester Science Partnerships had become new owners, over 300 new jobs had been created and many new businesses are looking to locate at Alderley Park.

In the months ahead, the focus will be on building on these achievements and creating a Science Corridor from Liverpool to Manchester, including Alderley Park and extending to AstraZeneca’s important Macclesfield site.

Macclesfield is not only home to cutting edge life sciences, but also world beating astrophysics.

Jodrell Bank, with its world famous Lovell Telescope, is an important local landmark. It’s also headquarters for the world’s largest radio telescope project, known as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). I have given my strong support for Jodrell Bank to continue to host this global project as it moves from the design phase into its next phase of operation after 2017.

I was pleased that during the debate, the Science Minister said he would “signal our wholehearted commitment to the project and to promoting Jodrell Bank as the rightful location for the SKA’s headquarters.”

By supporting cutting edge international science in the North, particularly in north east Cheshire, we will create more skilled jobs and strengthen our ability to compete in the global economy.