Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says Scarborough is ‘example of place where the Government has invested’

Rishi Sunak visited Scarborough’s Construction Skills Village in Eastfield and met with students and staff at the training school. Earlier in the day, campaigners gathered in the town’s South Bay in the hope of confronting the PM over poor bathing water quality but Mr Sunak’s visit did not include a stop at the beach.

After a tour of the school in Eastfield, Mr Sunak spoke with reporters and addressed local concerns about the cost of living, transport, the environment and crumbling concrete in schools. He was asked about his plan to address falling living standards and high levels of deprivation faced by people in Scarborough and other coastal communities.

According to a recent report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, almost 29 per cent of children in Scarborough are growing up in poverty, whereas in York the figure is around 20 per cent. The prime minister said that as a recipient of £20m of Towns Fund money, Scarborough was “an example of a place where the Government has invested”.

He added such initiatives were helping young people at the Construction Skills Village to “get the skills, opportunities, and apprenticeships that they need to succeed in life”.

He said: “Scarborough was also one of 55 towns to receive an extra £20m for local people to invest in their priorities and that money is there for the long term, so they can take the time to get it right. That is an example of us recognising the particular challenges of coastal communities and investing in them.”

On the cost of living, he added the Government had “more than halved inflation and because of that we’ve been able to cut people’s taxes”.

Mr Sunak said: “We are making progress and if we stick to that plan, we can deliver a brighter future for everyone in North Yorkshire and give them the peace of mind that things are going to be better for their children and that we can have a renewed sense of pride in our country.”

Asked about plans to dual the A64 between Scarborough and York – a plan that has been beset by delays for years – Rishi Sunak said that plans put forward locally were “very compelling” but did not give any outright commitment to Government support.

He said: “I know how important it is, especially as a North Yorkshire MP and I know how important east-west connectivity is with the A64.”

Keane Duncan, the Conservative candidate for York and North Yorkshire mayor, has committed to making a “multi-million-pound investment towards delivering the long-awaited dualling of the A64” which he said would require support from the Government.

It was announced last year that the A64 road investment strategy scheme would be pushed back for potential delivery beyond 2030

Mr Sunak said: “Those conversations are happening and National Highways are looking at how best they can phase in this investment and how best it can be delivered.”