OVER the last few weeks I have spoken up for local people in Parliament on issues like crime, the NHS, education, fair pensions for women born in the 1950s and the devastating effect funding cuts have had on local services in Dudley. But we’ve also had some fantastic news recently with the announcement of a new hi-tech £32 million Institute of Technology for the town.

Dudley College, universities and local businesses will be working together to build the new hi-tech campus at Castle Hill. Work will start next year and the new centre should open in 2021.

It is brilliant news for Dudley, and will help bring the new hi-tech skills we need to attract new businesses and well-paid secure jobs for local people.

I’ve worked really hard to support this project, keeping the promise I made at the election to make education and skills our number one priority in Dudley and to back plans for a new hi-tech campus to attract new industries and new jobs to the Black Country.

I’m really pleased to deliver on my election promise. I have worked really hard to make sure this has been successful. I worked with the college on the bid, attended meetings with civil servants to present the ideas, raised it in Parliament and had countless discussions with Government Ministers.

I welcome this development for Dudley and I’ll be continuing to campaign for a university campus to bring even more investment, new hi-tech industries and well-paid secure jobs to Dudley.

There'll be massive growth and lots of well-paid jobs in new hi-tech industries over the next 20 years. We can't prevent these changes, but we can try and make sure we are at the forefront of the benefits they can bring.

In Westminster I have been calling on the government to act urgently and deal with the crisis we face with knife and other violent crime. We have seen a spate of fatal and life-changing knife attacks in the Black Country and across the region.

The people responsible for violent crime are the criminals themselves, but West Midlands Police has lost over £175 million and 2000 police officers under this government. At the same time, we have seen the closure of youth centres, sports projects, community centres and other organisations that keep young people off the street, sending fewer people to prison. You wouldn’t need a crystal ball to predict that all of that would mean crime and violent crime would increase.

I think there needs to be more funding for the police so that there are more officers to deal with crime. I also think that there needs to be more investment in youth projects and organisations that keep young people off the street. I also want the government to implement stricter penalties for those caught with a knife - there should be a zero-tolerance approach adopted so those found with a knife can actually be locked up and kept off the streets.