New council aims to tackle region’s unemployment

A new business grouping aimed at boosting employment in the North East will be launched at the Riverside Stadium, in Middlesbrough. 

The North East Business Council, formed by the Jobs Foundation, brings together key regional leaders to tackle the area’s high unemployment rates.

Chaired by Kiran Fothergill, director of Pickerings Lifts, and supported by key figures including Steve Gibson, chairman of Middlesbrough FC; Leanne Cahill, chancellor of Sunderland University; Mads Howard MBE, senior manager, CEO office operations at Sage; and Matthew Elliott, president of the Jobs Foundation, the council is focused on tackling the North East’s high economic inactivity rate of 26.9 per cent.

They say the initiative forms part of a broader UK effort to reduce worklessness, with a goal of lifting two million people from welfare into work.

Kiran said: “The North East has a proud history of industry and entrepreneurship but faces many challenges too. 

“The launch of this council marks a significant step in strengthening our business community and ensuring that local enterprises have a national voice. 

“I am honoured to chair this initiative and look forward to working with a growing coalition of job creators.”

The Jobs Foundation, a charity supporting businesses to help people move from welfare into work, recently published Two Million Jobs, featuring case studies from Hartlepool and Redcar. 

Now active in the North East, it is working with partners including Sunderland Software City, Gateshead College and CyberNorth, while expanding its nationwide business council of more than 1,000 members.

Georgiana Bristol, chief executive of the Jobs Foundation, added: “We hope to grow this new grouping into a national voice for the North East business community and I hope that business leaders from all sectors of the region, representing all sizes of business, will support us in our mission.”

The event, which will take place on Friday, May 16, will feature prominent regional business figures and policymakers, with further opportunities for local businesses to join the council. 

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