The government is committed to developing world-class technical and vocational education in order to level up skills and opportunities across the country and is therefore investing significantly in our further education (FE) institutions and their people.

Dudley College, like all 16-19 providers, will benefit in 2020-21 from £400 million of additional funding announced last August. This is the biggest injection of new money into 16-19 education in a single year since 2010, with 16 to 19 funding increasing at a faster rate than 5 to 16 school funding. This includes an additional £120 million of funding for high cost and high value subjects, £35 million to support students on level 3 courses who did not achieve a grade 4 in GCSE Maths or GCSE English (or who did not achieve a grade 4 in GCSE Maths and GCSE English) and a £10 million increase in resources allocated for the Advanced Maths Premium.

As a 2020 T level provider, Dudley College will also benefit from additional funding for the delivery of T levels, including funding for the extra hours and industry placements, as well as the Early Adopter Development Fund to enable early providers to support the department to co-create high quality courses.

Our ambitions can only be achieved if our FE institutions are able to recruit, retain and develop outstanding FE teachers. We are therefore investing an additional £24 million in programmes designed to boost the FE workforce in 2020-21. This includes £11 million for training bursaries and grants worth up to £26,000 each in priority subjects and £10 million to expand the government’s successful Taking Teaching Further programme, which brings industry professionals into FE teaching. It also includes £3 million for a new high-quality mentor training programme to support FE teachers.

I thank my hon. Friend for what he is doing to champion Dudley and the Black Country, and I will certainly look at what I can do—is it to be there in person? Is that what he is asking for?

Dudley is set to receive £25 million investment via the Government’s towns fund, and we are looking to use the money to secure a university campus near the town centre. Will the Prime Minister lend his support to this scheme in order to level up and generate greater opportunity for Dudley people and the greater Black Country?

I would be happy to meet the Honorable Member for Dudley North and representatives of Dudley College to discuss funding allocations following the Spending Review. The EFA have confirmed that allocations for 16 to19-year-olds made in March 2015 for the 2015 to 2016 academic year are secure.

The design, installation and maintenance of pedestrian crossings are matters for local highway authorities, in this case Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. They have powers to establish pedestrian crossings on their roads, under section 23 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Pedestrian crossings do not require planning permission but the local authority need to work with those requesting such a crossing to ensure an appropriate way forward is found.

Local authorities are free to make their own decisions about the design of the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. It would be inappropriate for the Government to seek to intervene in the process of local democratic accountability.

I understand that an Inspector has been appointed to visit the site in the week commencing 26th January. The Inspector’s decision will follow soon after that time. In the circumstances it would be inappropriate for Ministers to discuss any aspect of this case with representatives of Dudley College as to do so could prejudice the position of the Inspector appointed to determine the case on his behalf.

The design, installation and maintenance of pedestrian crossings are matters for local highway authorities, in this case Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. They have powers to establish pedestrian crossings on their roads, under section 23 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Pedestrian crossings do not require planning permission but the local authority need to work with those requesting such a crossing to ensure an appropriate way forward is found.

Local authorities are free to make their own decisions about the design of the streets under their care, provided they take account of the relevant legislation. It would be inappropriate for the Government to seek to intervene in the process of local democratic accountability.

I understand that an Inspector has been appointed to visit the site in the week commencing 26th January. The Inspector’s decision will follow soon after that time. In the circumstances it would be inappropriate for Ministers to discuss any aspect of this case with representatives of Dudley College as to do so could prejudice the position of the Inspector appointed to determine the case on his behalf.