Tameside Select Carillion for BSF Deal

Tameside Borough Council has appointed Carillion`s Inspired Spaces Consortium for its £300m BSF project. Commenting on the selection, Tameside Council`s executive leader Cllr Roy Oldham said:“This project represents the best opportunity to invest in our schools in generations. Not only will it transform buildings, it will also enable us to improve the educational attainment for young people, providing them with more opportunities to access education, training and employment. When the programme is complete, Tameside’ secondary schools will be the envy of other cities and towns across the country."He added: “The BSF Programme demonstrates a clear commitment on the part of the council that no child will ever be left behind, that every young person matters, and that every young person should be helped to reach their full potential. “The level of investment in the first wave - will be followed by every secondary school in Tameside being rebuilt or renewed and demonstrates our determination that we become world class in education: worldclass schools, world-class teachers and worldclass learning facilities. Building Schools for the Future will help deliver just that. It will help us build better and brighter futures for all our young people, and our communities.”Cllr Ged Cooney, executive member for lifelong learning, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to make this announcement. We are entering into a partnership committed to improving the way secondary education is delivered in Tameside. We have chosen our preferred bidder through a very stringent selection and scoring process, and I am confident that we are on to a winner."The Inspiredspaces consortium will build and provide building facilities and crucial ICT services. The companies forming the consortium are Carillion, Barclays and Ramseys– who as the ICT provider will deliver nearly £25 million of ICT infrastructure. Carillion chief executive, John McDonough, said: “We are delighted to have been selected as preferred bidder on our third major project under the BSF programme, which is a strong growth area for Carillion. I am particularly pleased that our proposals for this programme align closely with Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council’s ‘rainforest’ vision to provide transformational learning that raises the aspirations and expectations of the people of Tameside. “Our entire team is looking forward to working closely with the Council, schools, the people of Tameside and PfS over the coming months and years. Our goal is to establish an educational environment that is second to none, to inspire learners and teachers alike and enhance the educational opportunities for the people of Tameside. We can`t wait to get started." pppFocus.com