A SHIPLEY MP has questioned the newly-appointed head of Government’s Social Mobility Commission about Bradford's social mobility model.

MP Philip Davies raised questions with the new chair, Katharine Birbalsingh, after a damning report found Bradford district to be one of the worst areas for social mobility in the country. 

Speaking in his role as member of the Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee, Mr Davies called for answers over what measures will be introduced to ensure the best life chances for everyone across the Bradford district.

Mr Davies said: “A table in the Social Mobility Commission’s report in 2020, “The long shadow of deprivation”, highlighted a number of areas that were named as some of the least socially mobile places in the country: Chiltern, Hyndburn, Gateshead and Bradford, which is where my constituency is. What do you propose to do in your role to ensure places like Bradford, where I am, do not get left behind?”

Ms Birbalsingh said: “It is an interesting question, and it is something that I cannot tell you right now. That is the whole point of the position: to talk to people, to have the commissioners, to discuss and to think, “How do we expand that?” There is good work going on everywhere; we just need to find ways of pushing that out. That is just in terms of education.”

She added: “There is little point, of course, in talking about ways into the workplace if there is not much work to go into. That is something that I am not an expert at right now, but I would want to look into. It is great to have apprenticeships and the apprenticeship levy, but what is the point? It will not help in areas where there are not many businesses to pay the apprenticeship levy. That is something that I would love to look into."

She told Mr Davies more work needed to be done to ensure good quality jobs were available in all areas of the country.

Mr Davies said he “warmly welcomed” Ms Birbalsingh’s appointment and looks forward to working with her.