A message from the City Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett

Building for future generations continues to be high on my agenda.

Our children are the future of both Salford and the country, and your council takes its duty to them extremely seriously. However, finding a way in the world today is harder for young people than it has been for a long time. That’s why your council needs to step up to the challenge.

Salford is one of very few local authorities who continue to provide a youth service and have a long history of supporting young people with services that work with them and their families. I am proud that our young people have been involved in the development of the new state-of-the-art facility in partnership with Fred Done which culminated in the launch of the name, SYZ, for the youth zone this month (more details on page 5).

It is vital that we protect our most vulnerable children in the city and the recent announcement that we have maintained a ‘good’ Ofsted rating for Route29, which supports young people on the edge of care, is welcomed. Significantly, all the council’s children’s residential care facilities have now consecutively reached a milestone of being recognised as ‘good.’

There is so much more left to do, but we are committed to continue working with our young people to attain the best possible outcomes in education, employment and life.

Jobs and skills

Your council is also delivering on the promises made at the last election to provide a comprehensive skills and work agenda to create opportunities for our residents and communities.

Through our investment in HOST at MediaCityUK, we now have a £2 million-plus programme in place to support the growth of digital, tech and cyber businesses helping 200 Salford residents into tech and digital jobs and introducing 1,200 Salford schoolchildren to tech careers.

Salford has also been the only Greater Manchester authority to secure £245,000 from the DWP for a Supported Employment Service, providing individually tailored support to 140 Salford residents with learning disabilities and autism. On top of this we have £160,000 from the NHS to deliver community-based job fairs.

Salford’s growth story, and the council’s role within that, sets a high bar and shows the vital role local councils can play in co-ordinating and directing the growth of new sectors and industries.

At the heart of this we have a strong, involved council which is providing leadership.

That is why this council has pursued a policy of leading from the front and rebuilding lost capacity following decades of privatisation.

Through Dérive we are investing in high-quality truly affordable homes for future generations in the city. The rents will be our own Salford rents.

It is why we are developing masterplans for the area around the Crescent, Swinton and Eccles town centres, to breathe life back into our communities.

But redeveloping our city is not just about new builds, it’s also about protecting what we have. I made a commitment to bring Buile Hill Mansion back into community use. It is fantastic news that the planning panel has approved our ambitious plans for this much loved historic asset in the heart of our city.

Supporting you this winter

As we move into winter many of you will be worried about making ends meet.

I am committed to supporting residents who are struggling, the council is here to support you. Our Welfare Rights and Debit Advice service helped Salford households claim £6.5 million of unclaimed benefits in 2022/23 alone – and our holiday schemes for children have provided 1,500 meals and packed lunches per day over 60 sites across the city.

We are delivering the £3.2 million package of support for residents impacted by the cost of living crisis.

It is crucial that residents seek support early to prevent the situation reaching crisis.

City Mayor Paul Dennett