Delighted to see high school on rebuilding list

I WAS delighted earlier this month when the Department for Education announced that Bramhall High School has been added to the School Rebuilding Programme following a successful campaign after RAAC was discovered at the school.

I began the campaign for Bramhall High School to be added to the School Rebuilding Programme after extensive Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete (RAAC) was discovered and I’m pleased that the high school has now been added to the list of schools to have one or more blocks rebuilt or refurbished.

RAAC is a type of lightweight concrete extensively used in buildings like schools and hospitals between the 1950s and 1990s which can cause significant problems as it ages and degrades. After calling for Bramhall High School to be included in a new build programme in the House of Commons at the end of last year, I invited Minister Baroness Barran to the school and, alongside the staff and governors, took the opportunity to show her the condition of the school and the impact on learning.

I also pressed the Schools Minister, Damian Hinds MP, for urgent steps to be taken to provide a long-term solution to the issues at Bramhall High.

Already Cheadle constituency has seen schools such as Thorn Grove Primary included in the national Schools Rebuilding Programme with Moorfield Primary also selected as one of the latest schools that will be rebuilt or substantially refurbished as part of the fourth round of the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme.

Cheadle Hulme High School, Royal School Manchester and Royal College Manchester (Seashell Trust) have also been awarded grants by the Department for

Education in this latest announcement providing funds to remove RAAC.

It’s great news for staff and students that the Government supported our campaign to include Bramhall High School in the Rebuilding programme!

As well as in education, Government support for local infrastructure investments in transport projects and regeneration is building for our future prosperity.

An £8m package of Government support as part of the Towns Fund will see a new railway station open in Cheadle village, boosting connectivity, reducing traffic on our roads and supporting local businesses.

As part of Cheadle’s Towns Fund deal, a new Eco Business Park will also provide green jobs thanks to £4.4m of Government investment as well as £1.2m to support active travel in our area.

This is alongside investment of £33.6m from central Government to Stockport Council to improve the A34 in Cheadle, with improved junction layouts and a new subway for Kingsway School.

Stepping Hill Hospital has also benefitted from a £30m upgrade, creating a new Emergency Care Campus which will see modern and efficient facilities brought to the hospital, allowing patients to receive the urgent care they need.

To keep our streets safe Government have also delivered on their pledge to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers with 1,280 recruited to Greater Manchester Police, working with a new focussed neighbourhood team tackling car crime and burglaries across our area.

In 2024 I look forward to continuing working to make Cheadle constituency and Stockport borough more widely, an even better place to live!