Three newly elected MPs have pledged to tackle high living costs and limited job opportunities to help more graduates stay in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) area.
The MPs—Jessica Toale (Bournemouth West), Tom Hayes (Bournemouth East), and Neil Duncan-Jordan (Poole)—spoke at a town hall-style event hosted by the Bournemouth University’s Students’ Union (SUBU).
The event was moderated by SUBU President Esther Chinenye Isaiah and Professor Einar Thorsen, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Media and Communication.
Toale said she would work to grow the local economy. “I hope when you’ve done your degree in Bournemouth,” she said, “and even if you are not from here, you’ll fall in love with the place and can find great jobs and affordable places to live.”
The event was moderated by SUBU President Esther Chinenye Isaiah and Professor Einar Thorsen, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Media and Communication.
Prof Thorsen highlighted a 49 per cent decline in students undertaking year-long placements in recent years. This, he said, was due to a lack of suitable local jobs, resulting in a net loss to the region’s employment rate.
Toale brought up the main challenge that Dorset is an ageing county. “It is difficult to command wages here,” she said. “You have a very high cost of living. So that makes it less attractive for people to stay.”
However, Bournemouth, through its educational institutions, creative industries, and financial sector offers unique opportunities to youngsters.
“The local universities are the key,” Toale said, adding that they are developing a “highly skilled workforce”, which creates a clear pathway for students to give back to the region.
Speaking about the critical financial position that the higher education sector faces across the country, and especially noting the closure of certain courses, Duncan-Jordan of Poole pointed out that there is value in every kind of education on its own.
“We need more courses, not fewer,” said Duncan-Jordan, who studied journalism at Bournemouth University. “We need courses like art and history just as much as we need dentistry. We have to have courses that allow people to interpret the world.”
The event also saw concerns from students about healthcare. Questioned how the new MPs would bring quality healthcare to students and reduce waiting times, Hayes blamed the successive Conservative governments.
“The Conservative tried to kill the NHS by starvation, not by a one-off blow,” he said.
Hayes welcomed the additional £20 billion allocated to the NHS in the 2024 Budget but argued that structural reforms are also needed.
“What we need to do,” he said, “is make sure the people employed by the NHS are doing the right roles and have the right responsibilities.”
Toale, Hayes, and Duncan-Jordan are the first Labour MPs elected in the BCP area in decades, a significant shift in an area traditionally held by the Conservatives.
