University of Salford and Salford City Council Sign Historic Agreement

City Mayor Paul Dennett and University Vice-Chancellor Professor Nic Beech attended a signing ceremony in Salford on Tuesday to formalise the contract, along with other senior stakeholders.

The key goals include supercharging culture and creativity in Salford, building a Child Friendly City, delivering economic growth and skills, supporting socially engaged research and innovation and enhancing social value and buying policies (procurement) to benefit local suppliers and people where possible.

Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett said that even though the University and Salford City Council have worked in close partnership for years, this centenary year is the perfect moment to restate their shared ambitions. “This Civic University Agreement formally recognises the strong and beneficial relationship between the University and the Council, bound by a shared commitment to this City and to the people who call it home. We work best when we work together, in pursuit of prosperity, wellbeing, opportunity, and long-term growth for the benefit of Salford and its communities.

“Working to make Salford a Child Friendly City is a priority for both the Council and the University. It’s our commitment to creating a great place for children and young people to grow up and feel safe, cared for, heard and have quality opportunities to learn, work and play.

“Social Value is another hugely important priority we share. This involves making sure organisations in the city are looking beyond making decisions based only on financial cost and instead consider the wider benefit to a community. Both the university and council play important roles in this.

“Ultimately, this agreement is about futures realised, for students, families, workers, and for every resident who wants to see Salford thrive. It’s a very exciting time for this City, and I look forward to the future we’re building together.”

Professor Nic Beech added: “If you consider that we have over 26,000 students currently studying at Salford, and we employ over 2,800 full time equivalent colleagues, it is obvious that we have  a major role to play in our community. We are already deeply involved in positive community programmes for the benefit of Salford, but this new Civic Agreement will help us revisit and refresh our joint aspirations with the Council, making sure we harness the potential for even more exciting collaborations in future.”

Speakers who joined the Mayor and Vice Chancellor at the Civic Agreement ceremony included Chief Executive of Salford City Council Stephen Young, Jo Purves Pro Vice-Chancellor for Partnerships and Global Engagement at University of Salford, and Rishi Jindal Regional Operations Manager from schools outreach providers IntoUniversity.

The University and Council are already committed to a number of important joint initiatives, and the Agreement will power more important partnerships geared to improving life for people in Salford:

• BUILD Salford has seen the University and Salford City Council unite with Salford City College to maximise learning and employment opportunities in the Construction sector for Salford residents. With forecast investment of over £6 billion in construction across Salford in the next three years, BUILD Salford is a joint commitment to creating a construction workforce This means the partners are working with employers to assist in supporting the development and supply of local talent to meet workforce needs.
   
• The University is an anchor institution in the city, acting as an engine of growth and regeneration. It is a founding partner in the £2.5bn, 240-acre Crescent Salford development scheme, along with Salford City Council and ECF. This partnership is transforming the landscape around the University’s Peel Park and Frederick Road campuses and beyond.
  
  The University is also in the middle of the biggest regeneration of its campus and buildings it has ever undertaken through its Campus Connectivity Plan. This is focused around major capital developments which are delivering state of the art teaching and research facilities, with more first-class new teaching buildings opening over coming months.
  
  As part of the wider Crescent Salford Masterplan the University’s development will help to deliver up to 7000 full time jobs and an estimated annual Gross Value Add of £350m by 2040, over the lifetime of the Crescent regeneration * (figures taken from Crescent Prospectus FINAL and Crescent Salford website).
   
• The University’s students and teaching staff support important school outreach programmes which are active across Salford. With invaluable help from external funders including businesses and alumni, the programmes encourage pupils at local schools to consider further and higher education, by providing role models, mentoring opportunities and tutoring programmes. IntoUniversity, Tutor Trust and National Saturday Club amongst others are helping improve academic outcomes and future pathways for pupils in Salford, supported by University of Salford staff and students.
   
• Arts Council England recently invited Salford to join the Creative People and Places Portfolio with an award of £750,000, to help the city deliver more grassroots cultural experiences. The University is collaborating with the Council, the Lowry, Salford Community Leisure and Salford CVS  to deliver a programme of work which will inspire, empower and foster local pride.
   
• The University is working closely with the Council on its bid for Salford to be named one of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Media.
   
• The University’s academic teams are focused on undertaking socially engaged research and innovation to improve the everyday lives of people in Salford and beyond. This ranges from working with partners to improve healthcare, helping people with their energy bills, carrying out ground-breaking acoustics exploration and working to boost the economy and influence national social policy.

You can read the Civic University Agreement in full here.