Call to link up with Scotland

BUSINESS LEADERS SET OUT PLANS FOR REGION

BUSINESS leaders say the North East needs to forge closer links with Scotland and form a development council with its neighbour if the region is to grow.

Key North East entrepreneurs and executives have written to the government outlining their response to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper.

In its Green Paper, Whitehall says it is committed to working with the regions to help them flourish, develop specialisms and build on their existing strengths.

Prominent North East business figures have combed through the paper and come up with ideas for how the North East can embrace the opportunities which the government envisions. By 2040, the letter’s signatories aim for the North East to be a region which ranks above its rivals within Britain.

Instead of only looking to London, businesses leaders say the region has to forge greater links with Scotland if it is to push forward in post-Brexit Britain. They suggest creating a Scotland and North of England Development Council.

Alastair Balls, chairman of the International Centre for Life, who signed the letter, said: “We believe that there are a number of key issues which must be tackled, especially in the context of a post-Brexit economy, if we are to bring about a major shift in the relative economic fortunes of our region”

The response outlines key challenges that the North East must tackle to succeed. These include:

Developing a quality provision of education and technical training which will bear international comparison.

Ensuring that our universities are able to make a greater contribution to developing an enterprise economy in the North East.

Enhancing all aspects of the North East’s infrastructure against a clear long-term plan.

Implementing a competitive inward investment marketing capability.

Establishing financial capacity based on locally-based institutions.

Cultivating a climate of encouragement for enterprise.

Developing a cadre of individuals able to straddle the public and private sectors who can offer the region the long-term leadership it needs.

A wish list has been drawn up of proposals aimed at overcoming the challenges. These include the creation of an education ‘Think and Do’ tank; a joint Business-Universities taskforce; an independent North East Infrastructure Commission; a regional Development Bank; and a North East Leadership Development Programme