The most encouraging and positive part of the Hartlepool Mail last week (as opposed to the dramatic events at Hartlepool United) was seeing the looks of joy and delight on many young people’s faces as they received their A level results.

Once again, as a town, Hartlepool’s A level students have performed spectacularly, well ahead of the national average. Hartlepool Sixth Form College showed an astounding 99.2 per cent pass rate, English Martyrs receiving a pass rate of 99 per cent, whilst Hartlepool College of Further Education showed an impressive 95 per cent.

I really want to pay tribute to all the hard work and dedication of the students, who have applied themselves to achieve success. Some might not have achieved what they wanted or needed, and they live to fight another day, but in the vast majority of cases there is cause for celebration and optimism. I also want to thank the teachers, who are the best generation of committed and professional teaching staff the town has ever seen. I also want to pay tribute to parents, who have often been treading on egg shells as their son or daughter have been revising. I know about this from bitter experience.

I’ve said this before, but it is worth mentioning time and time again, as a sign of how the town has progressed in the past 15 years or so. It’s not too long ago since Hartlepool trailed well behind the national average for A Level results. We were at the bottom of the league went it came to exam success at the age of 16 – now, this week’s GCSE results show us close to the top.

This bodes well for the future of our town – a skilled town is generally a prosperous town – although there are many challenges ahead. More and more young people want to go to university. That is a great thing. I hate the idea of somebody from our town thinking that university wasn’t for the likes of them, or put off by the idea of loans and debt. The funding of higher education is a massive issue, but there still remain bursaries and grants for students coming from lower income households. Although this is not very well mentioned in the media, there are now more university undergraduates entitled to and receiving grants than at any point in this country’s history.

University entrance has always been a competitive matter, but this year is particularly tough. I know that times are difficult, but it does seem to me to be somewhat shortsighted that, in a year when applications to university are at all time high, and when our competitors like China, the US and India are expanding the number of university places for science and engineering, the Government is now cutting places for university. This doesn’t help our long-term prospect of economic growth, especially in the future growth industries like renewable energy that I mentioned last week.

I don’t want this to be an anti-Government rant, but the Future Jobs Fund, which was very successful in Hartlepool, has been cut, limiting still further the ability of young people to get help and support for their future career.

It’s probably the toughest environment ever for our young people. They are deciding what to do for the rest of their lives, and they are doing so in a very harsh economic climate with high competition for university places. Despite this difficulty, I hope Hartlepool recognises the enormous achievement from our young people, and wishes them all well for the future.