Downtown Manchester in Business recently hosted a special event at The Lowry Hotel, Salford Quays. The event entitled ‘In Conversation with Tom Stannard’ to discuss the key role of Salford in the regeneration of Greater Manchester and the cities bounce back from the pandemic.
After just over a year of service, CEO of Salford City Council, Tom Stannard stated that he now feels like an ‘adopted member of the North West’ throughout his work within Salford. ‘Salford is like a tale of two cities’ in being the one of the top cities in the league tables for the visibility of regeneration, however, Salford also finds itself near the top of the league tables for deprivation too. Salford is currently seen to be one of the worlds best levelling up opportunities, due to the scale and number of developments within the region.
Tom also commented on the need for the government to invest in skills to help bridge the skills gap, ‘we will not reach certain communities without adult education and skills development, we want to be part of a success story, the story of the next generation with inclusivity and regeneration.’ This then led our guests to a discussion around further education, ‘young people go off to university and don’t always get the job that they aspire to have, and this is where the disconnect from education comes in and the skills gap grows. If you pick young people up when they leave education and help not to become NEET’s, this can help to bridge the gap. Young people are as good as the person who champions them, and we need to support young people and those helping them to achieve their full potential.’
The conversation turned to the sport and culture sector within placemaking in Salford. ‘Arts, culture and livability are at the centre of a placemaking structure. [Salford Quays] don’t mind that football supporters support our visitor economy – we have to invest massively in that side of the economy to support’.
Thank you to The Lowry Hotel for their wonderful hospitality.
For information about future downtown event contact mili.dacosta@downtowninbusiness.com / alice.evans@downtowninbusiness.com
