Member Article

Parliament trip hailed a huge success

Business figures in the region have hailed an event in the Houses of Parliament as a huge success. Entrepreneurs, council leaders and regional innovators spent five days in London promoting a North East town to the movers and shakers of Westminster.

Hartlepool MP Iain Wright initiated the event after two years of putting his name forward to the Parliament ballot to use the space. Once he was given the green light, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Economic Development team organised the trip with several local businesses including J&B Recycling, Hart Biologicals and Qurios Entertainment to showcase the business potential of the town in an exhibition in the Upper Waiting Chamber.

The delegates were also taken to dinner by Mr Wright who introduced them to Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Angela Eagle MP, and a variety of city high flyers including Liz Stevenson, from the Institute of Chartered Accountants, and partners from financial heavyweights Deloitte.

Mr Wright said: “It went even better than I had hoped. The Hartlepool businesses really gave a good account of themselves in Westminster and a lot of MPs, Ministers and business people who visited the exhibition commented on how much they thought Hartlepool had changed. It made me really proud and I want to keep championing the town and its services.”

Among the business delegates was Joe Docherty, Chief Executive of Tees Valley Regeneration. He said: “The trip was excellent, very worthwhile. I think it was a great example of how a local authority works with all of its partners to encourage entrepreneurship in the town.

“The trip was about awareness and we need to continue to raise the profile of Hartlepool and the Tees Valley. It was welcoming to see a senior politician actively encouraging enterprise and championing his constituency.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .