Innovation project a clean winner for jobs

£1.3M TO BE PLOUGHED INTO FINDING GREEN WAYS TO WASH

THERE are new hopes that the North East could become a leading manufacturer of world-changing technologies to revolutionise everyday chores like laundry and dishwashing.

Plans to develop innovative ways of cutting waste and drastically reduce household water use in Newcastle, Northumberland, and North Tyneside have been given a cash boost.

The North of Tyne Combined Authority has committed £1.3m to a research and development project which is set to create 49 “highly skilled, well-paid” jobs and protect 40 others. The project is being led by Procter & Gamble, whose products include Ariel and Fairy, and will see scientists charged with the task of creating more sustainable everyday cleaning products and finding new ways to reduce domestic water consumption from household tasks like dish-washing and laundry. The Advancing Circular Economy (ACE) Demonstrator project, being run by a consortium that includes Newcastle and Northumbria Universities, will also investigate the potential for a new green technology centre in the North of Tyne area.

Bruce Pickard, deputy mayor of North Tyneside, told a meeting of the combined authority’s cabinet on Monday that the region wants to “lead globally on industries on which the world will soon depend”.

North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll said: “They are not just jobs, they are fantastic jobs. They are highly skilled and well-paid, and these are global corporations. They could have gone anywhere; they came to the North of Tyne because of the work we have done engaging with them and because of our commitment to a future green economy.” Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes said that the research scheme, which will cost £2.7m in total, is “a unique opportunity to make the North of Tyne a worldleader in addressing global sustainability and creating modern, unique solutions to these challenges”.

Tuesday afternoon’s meeting also saw the combined authority pledge £720,000 to help people who have lost their jobs because of the Covid19 pandemic retrain, gain basic qualifications and get the experience needed to secure new employment.

From August 1, the North of Tyne will take charge of a £23m budget to provide adult education, which it says will fund more than 37,000 learning opportunities in 2020/21.