2022 will be a year of huge progress for investment and jobs across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool. Creating good quality, well paid local jobs is at the heart of all the major projects we’re delivering, from the airport to the freeport. This year will be one of cranes in the sky, steel in the ground and real progress on construction.

Just last week global energy company bp submitted bids to government to secure support for two major low carbon energy projects in the region. These projects, Net Zero Teesside and power project H2Teesside, will cement our region’s reputation as the UK’s leading centre for net zero innovation and deliver thousands of skilled, well paid jobs for local workers.

During the Industrial Revolution, Teesside led the world. Now our engineers are once again leading the way in developing the ground-breaking net zero technologies of the future.

The fantastic progress of delivering jobs for local people doesn’t stop there. Thanks to the investment we’re making into Teesside airport, 10 new firefighters are being recruited. 80 civil service jobs are also available at the Darlington Economic Campus, meaning local people can work in some of the most important government departments, including the Treasury, without leaving the region they call home.

The Teesworks Skills Academy is now rising out of the ground and will be key to ensuring that local people can gain the skills they need to secure one of the thousands of jobs in advanced manufacturing, innovation and clean growth that are on their way to the Teesworks site.

Since its launch in June last year, we’ve already seen over 1,000 people sign up to the academy, which is playing a key role in connecting local people with investors and contractors on the Teesworks site.

Making sure local people can get to the jobs we’re creating is a key part of my plan for jobs. That’s why I’m providing funding for the new Teesport 101 bus service, which will be a great help for workers at Teesport. The new service will run between Middlesbrough Bus Station and Teesport three times a day via Thorntree JobCentre, Eston and South Bank, leaving the town at 5am, 1pm, and 9pm.

We’re making great progress across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool in establishing ourselves as a centre of excellence for TV and film production, with Hartlepool now being home to the only dedicated large-scale film and TV studios in the North East.

Last year, I secured a commitment from the BBC to invest £25m in the North East, their biggest investment in the region for decades. I’m capitalising on this by investing £4.5m to welcome even more jobs and opportunities in the film and TV industries, meaning we can develop and nurture the existing industry and help create the jobs of the future.

Teesside airport is hugely important to everyone across the region. It provides a vital air connection to the rest of the UK and means local families can quickly and easily fly off on holiday to some of the most popular destinations, including Majorca and Alicante.

Saving our airport from closure also mean we can see the return of the much-loved Teesside airshow which I’m pleased will be taking to the air on Saturday, June 11. The airshow has long been a headline event for our region, drawing thousands from across the country over the years.

Brilliant events like the airshow provide a significant boost to local businesses. Cash I provided through the Festival Recovery Fund to help 15 festivals go ahead following the easing of lockdown restrictions last year has pumped an extra £9 into our local economy for every £1 spent. I’m making sure our amazing festivals can grow, become more sustainable and become even better.

  • Ben Houchen is the Conservative mayor of the Tees Valley