Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution officially opens Crawley Innovation Centre

Following the opening, the Minister joined a tour of Crawley’s key areas of regeneration and development on a hydrogen fuelled Metrobus double decker bus, along with Crawley MP Peter Lamb, Chief Executive of the council, Ian Duke, and leader of the council, Councillor Michael Jones. Hydrogen buses are not only sustainable with the use of green hydrogen, but also environmentally friendly due to the zero tailpipe emissions, helping to tackle climate change and improve air quality in the local area.

The tour ended at Crawley College, where the Minister took the opportunity to meet with local apprentices.

The Crawley Innovation Centre, owned by Crawley Borough Council and funded by UK Government, is located in the heart of the Manor Royal Business District. It is aimed at helping create more than 200 new jobs and benefitting directly up to 40 businesses. The centre will bring a further much-needed economic, innovation and technological boost to the town, drawing on Crawley’s long-standing reputation in advanced manufacturing and engineering.

Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Crawley Borough Council, said: “We’re pleased to have welcomed Devolution Minister Jim McMahon to Crawley to officially open our state-of-the-art Crawley Innovation Centre. It was also a great opportunity to meet and welcome our new tenants.”

Peter Lamb, Labour MP for Crawley, said, “As representatives of the town in local and national office, we are working in partnership to deliver for Crawley. The minister’s visit was a fantastic opportunity to highlight the efforts being made to bring the jobs of the future to Crawley and the work being done to ensure local residents will benefit from these new opportunities.”

Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP, said, “It was a real pleasure to open the fantastic Crawley Innovation Centre. The Centre will serve as a thriving hub for businesses in Crawley and across the wider region for years to come.

“We are committed to driving local growth and creating jobs in our communities, and that is exactly what projects like the Innovation Centre will help to do.”