Deprived Manningham and Girlington today won £9.7 million Government cash to tackle unemployment among young people.

The award from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget will trigger a major unprecedented action plan to get thousands of young people off the streets and into jobs.

The sense of hopelessness and alienation suffered by the jobless youngsters was identified as a root cause of the Manningham riots which shocked Britain in 1995.

Today's cash announcement by Trade and Industry Minster John Battle at the Carlisle Business centre will safeguard 1,257 jobs and create an extra 684 over the next six years. It is anticipated 1,941 people will obtain qualifications and training.

In addition the plan aims to improve 336 homes and bring 316 buildings back into use.

The target is to get 1,432 attending youth crime prevention projects.

Mr Battle said: "I see it as a spark and not the whole answer. It is a much wider problem over a scale of time.

"I hope it will show what can be done and will attract more funding."

After his announcement Mr Battle visited nearby Westbourne First School where Asian parents are helping children with their work. He praised the school saying: "I would like schools across Britain see what you are doing."

The cash boost will be a multi-million-pound hat-trick for troubled Manningham.

It follows a £10.6 million award from the Government's Capital Challenge Fund last year for a new school, swimming pool and sports facilities.

And last May the Council won a £3.2 million Lottery award to restore historic Lister Park.

Matched funding for the Government award by the private sector, Council and other major bodies will fund a six-year project which will cost at least £22 million.

The plan will help young people from birth to the age of 25 into a system geared to school achievement and training tailor-made for jobs.

Businesses will be heavily involved and encouraged - sometimes through incentives - to employ young people.

The award follows an unsuccessful bid in Autumn 1996 which was turned down because of poor preparation.

The innovative plans include an early years centre for excellence, extension of the school working day, and stepping up nursery education.

There are proposals to bring parents into schools, both to learn themselves and help their children.

Bradford Congress - which submitted the bid on behalf of Bradford Council and all the district's leading organisations - told the Government there were huge joblessness problems, particularly in Toller where the 33 per cent rate compared with 8.7 per cent across the district.

The community will have the largest number of seats on the board to be set up to administer the projects.

Many of the schemes were proposed by the Council in its response to a long investigation into the riots by high-powered Bradford Congress.

But some people criticised the response as a "paper exercise" because they said it depended too heavily on the possibility of getting SRB funds.

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