Residents in Birmingham are calling for city leaders to ensure that the £750 million investment designated for the Commonwealth Games in 2022 will also go towards creating jobs, training, housing and facilities for the community, especially its young people
Residents in Birmingham are calling for city leaders to ensure that the £750 million investment designated for the Commonwealth Games in 2022 will also go towards creating jobs, training, housing and facilities for the community, especially its young people.
Birmingham Citizens, an alliance of community, faith, school and business groups, have urged Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games organisers to tackle child poverty in the city by investing funds to tackle low pay, housing shorting and a lack of sport and leisure facilities for young people.
Ahead of the Citizens UK annual assembly, the group is calling on council leader Ian Ward and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street to ask contractors working on the planned facilities in the area to pay the real living wage rate to employees, and to also offer paid work experience to young people.
The group also wants the investment in sports and leisure facilities to influence and benefit young people, by encouraging healthy lifestyles and inspiring the next generation of athletes.
In addition, they are petitioning host venues such as Aston Villa FC to become Living Wage accredited.
Furthermore, they want 1,000 homes being built in the Perry Barr athletes village to be placed in a community land trust after the Games in 2022, to be used as affordable housing for locals.
The Chairman for Birmingham Citizens, Michael Seal, said: “Everyone in Birmingham should have a say on these games, from a kid on free school meals, to a busy young mum, to an aspiring young athlete.
“We warmly welcome these games and lay down our Citizens Guarantees on low pay, homes and youth opportunities as an ambitious challenge to those with the power to give the Games a lifelong positive legacy.”
