‘Leftfield candidate’ on his plans for new LEP
JAMES Newman OBE is the new man tasked with leading the North Bank of the Humber to becoming A MORE prosperous socio-political entity. And as chairman of the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership he is clear on the need to work with his and the area’s old friends, while underlining the area’s key assets as they rise to even greater prominence in 2021. From 2010 to 2015 the former financial director of Yorkshire Water oversaw the Sheffield city region deal, from a LEP leading role. Describing himself as the leftfield candidate, he was the successful one and, while an East Riding resident, of a fringe York-neighbouring village, he makes no bones about needing to get to know the area, but certainly knows the job and the expectations. Despite leaving the last LEP role five years ago, Mr Newman still has a lot of connections, and sees his native Sheffield as a close ally to the Hull with the heavy industry drivers. And with port-centric manufacturing expansion seen as part of the coveted freeport prize, he is clear on opportunity. “It is on the government agenda, as is climate change,” he said of what many would see as the two biggest priorities beyond Covid economic survival. “Freeports are clearly important for Brexit and Hull is already part of one of the largest port complexes in Europe, where clearly they know how to run a freeport if we can get one. Much of the other industry, the energy, decarbonisation, offshore wind, is all part of the climate agenda, and this year is a very big year for climate change with our hosting of COP26 in November. “We are at the forefront of these industries and we have got to put our case forward.”
Collaboration is vital, though there should be no inferiority complex about size despite shedding the South Bank as a result of political will to bring accountability. Mr Newman is confident the dual authority area is big enough to fight a corner, some feel - that even after Siemens, City of Culture and the huge A63 investment - can still be forgotten.
“I’d like to think so, it is on the margin,” he said, when asked if Hull and East Yorkshire is large enough to go it alone. “To have a successful LEP pitching to government that you are going to make a difference, you have to have some scale. I think the industries within the region, not just Hull but the tourism and the farming, with more emphasis on being self-sufficient post Brexit, will matter. We are on the cusp, but we have enough going for us and I am confident we can operate as a LEP. “We will still be working cross-estuary with the Humber Leadership Board - the local authority leaders, myself and the chair of Greater Lincolnshire - and it is important we work together with a message to government to support both. It is sad that the Humber LEP had to be broken up, but I think there is enough north of the estuary to allow us to make a success of it. “Government has been pushing this ‘one authority, one LEP’ agenda since I was chairing Sheffield. It is not only this area affected, in my previous role five of the nine authorities were not in South Yorkshire, but Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The economic success was tied in and it was a choice between that or the county.
“The two Lincolnshire local authorities will have taken that difficult decision to go with the county, we will make the best of it and I am sure they will as well. Leeds and North Yorkshire are in a similar position, so I wouldn’t want anyone in the Humber to have a complex.
“Collaboration is so important with other parts of Yorkshire. If you are smaller than other parts it is important you collaborate with bigger ones.
“I tried with energy when at Sheffield and there is more we can do. There is also the Northern Powerhouse, and it is important we work with them, where fortunately I know a number of people.”
So what inspired his decision to apply?
“I live in East Riding, I have done for 20 years,” he said. “I am Yorkshire born and bred, lived in all parts and worked in all parts, and this was a role where there were some clearly defined outcomes required, such as combined authority, mayoral devolution deal and still some settling of political issues. I thought ‘why not, I can do this’. I’m learning an area from scratch, but not how to do the job from scratch.
“I felt I was very much a leftfield candidate, I didn’t know the area, no-one knew me, and I didn’t think I would get it. Others thought better and I hope and I am sure they have chosen well.”
While acknowledging unprecedented times with the pandemic and political picture, he feels the LEP evolution will help from his last standing start. “Brexit and Covid have certainly set out some new challenges, and changed the way things will need to be done or the economy’s priorities. “Back in 2010 LEPs were a new great idea that we didn’t know what they would become. We didn’t have any money or people, and it was a huge challenge - at least ten years on people know what they can do, what they can achieve and what structures are needed, so we’re in a much better place.”
And turning to Hull and East Yorkshire, he said: “The political will is there and that’s important, both local authorities want this to happen. My role and challenge is to keep them on-side and working closely together to make sure it does happen, while getting the private sector back on stream again, because it will have been disappointed by the break-up of Humber LEP.
“With my background in the voluntary, charity and community sector,I want to engage more there too; it is an important part of the economy and at grass roots level they can identify demand and need. It has got to be an inclusive economy, it cannot just be business, it has got to be about business and jobs.
“There is going to be a lot of reskilling, a whole new agenda post-Covid that will need to be addressed and the more that can be done at a local level the better, and that’s why a devolution deal is so important.”