Liam Byrne MP today called on Birmingham City Council to back his campaign to get more jobs in place for people in Washwood Heath and Shard End.

The Hodge Hill MP is calling on the City Council to make boosting jobs one of the priorities in the deal for delivery which the City Council must agree with the Government in May/June this year.

The call from the Hodge Hill MP came as he briefed Advantage West Midlands Chief Executive, Mick Laverty, on investment opportunities in the Hodge Hill constituency and following a summit with regional leaders of Work Directions, the group appointed by the Department for Work & Pensions to help get people off benefits and back into work across Birmingham and Solihull.

Liam said:

"Birmingham has boomed over the last ten years but there are places like Washwood Heath and Shard End where there are still not enough people with jobs."

Liam has led the creation of a ground breaking pilot project in Hodge Hill that brings together Jobcentre Plus, the NHS and the City Council to help people get the help they need to get off incapacity benefit and back into skilled work.

Liam continued:

"Over the last year I have seen how we can make faster progress helping get people off benefits and into work by pulling together as a team. We need the NHS and local Jobcentres to play their part, but today I am calling on the City Council to make boosting jobs one of the priorities it agrees with Government."

He added:

"Across the West Midlands, £120 billion is going to be spent over the next 5 years. I want our City Council to make sure that some of that money is used giving people jobs in constituencies like mine. We know that the fastest way out of poverty is work, but if you have been ill or you have got young children, sometimes it is difficult to get started.

"I am delighted that regeneration chiefs like Mick Laverty have today committed to helping us get more jobs in place for people who live in Washwood Heath and Shard End. I’ve heard how new partners, like Work Directions, can give people who were once written off a second, third and fourth chance of getting back into work and building a new life for themselves and their families."

Liam has also been leading a programme in his constituency over the last year called Hodge Hill 2020 designed to create a new blueprint for investment right the way across the district.