Member Article

Tees Valley Unlimited push for City Deal

Tees Valley Unlimited (TVU) has expressed its wish to take on the Government’s City Deal scheme, with hopes of empowering the region and offering a significant boost to the economy.

TVU Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will submit its Expression of Interest to the Government on 15th January.

The document will outline the business landscape of the Tees Valley region, and will set out how the region could benefit from the City Deal.

The Government initiative is a tailored scheme that aims to deliver growth and unlock projects within the regions, while working to change local governance arrangements.

TVU LEP highlighted how the City Deal would allow it to promote prosperity in the region, and outlined its aims to boost employment with more jobs and apprenticeships.

TVU also outlined its wish to boost exports going out of the region, and said the Expression of Interest will prioritise the need for private investment.

Stephen Catchpole, Tees Valley Unlimited’s Managing Director, said: “We believe that, in collaboration with our partners and stakeholders, we have created a compelling Expression of Interest to ensure that Tees Valley has the best possible chance of being selected for the City Deal shortlist.

“A Tees Valley City Deal would give us greater control over our economic destiny and enhance TVU’s range of strategies to attract private investment, boost skills and create jobs.”

CBI’s North East director, Sarah Green commented on TVU’s proposals, and called the bid “ambitious but deliverable”.

She said: “Tees Valley contains a number of high-growth industries with strong potential to increase employment in skilled, sustainable private sector jobs.

“As the City Deal proposal outlines, building on the existing strengths of the chemical, advanced manufacturing and low-carbon sectors, particularly with regard to improving export performance, is vital to the region and to the North East as a whole.

“By devolving more decision making and spending powers to the local level, CBI North East believes this City Deal will ensure that resources aimed at stimulating growth and creating jobs are deployed in the most effective and efficient manner possible.”

TVU LEP is one of 20 areas invited to submit an Expression of Interest, but not all regions will be awarded the deal. The decision will be announced in Spring 2013, and individual proposals will be set by November.

Areas including Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton Councils committed to the LEPs proposals, along with board members from University of Teesside and the LEPs, as well as representatives from Sabic and PD Ports.

Mr Catchpole added: “There are numerous untapped opportunities within this area that a City Deal would allow us to harness and develop for the economic good of Tees Valley.

“It would give us greater control locally to exploit our strengths and tackle our barriers to growth and most importantly put into action the Tees Valley strategic plans that match the bold ambitions of this area.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .