Decision-makers from across the North East have been brought together by the Northern Echo's Level Up campaign to share their experience on investment strategies and discuss one of the most important investment decisions the region has ever made - the LA7 devolution deal.

They met at the Thorn Lighting base in Spennymoor for the campaign's first live event of 2023 - after a very successful series throughout last year. Backed by a huge amount of content online and in print, the Level Up campaign is run in partnership with a team of business leaders to call for investment and jobs for the North East.

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Yesterday an invited audience heard from Amy Harhoff, Durham County Council’s Corporate Director for Regeneration, Economy and Growth about the council's Economic Strategy and how it will help grow the region's £9bn economy after a county-wide consultation process - The Big Conversation.

The Northern Echo: Business Editor Mike Hughes leads the debateBusiness Editor Mike Hughes leads the debate (Image: Newsquest)

The Level Up panel of experts then discussed how their sectors looked at carefully-targeted investment as a way of progressing through so much economic uncertainty.

The panel were: 

  • Peter Snaith, a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson
  • Stephen Gill, Global Account Executive at Cummins and a member of Tees Valley’s Local Enterprise Partnership
  • Tom Lonsdale, Knowledge and Research Executive at the North East England Chamber of Commerce
  • Elizabeth Scott, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Economy & Partnership at Durham County Council
  • Louise Taylor, Director of Corporate Strategy and Assurance at believe housing
  • Nolan Gray, Director of the Teesside Freeport

The Northern Echo: Louise Taylor makes her pointLouise Taylor makes her point (Image: Newsquest)

Peter talked about the global network of clients that Womble Bond Dickinson deals with and the way they still see the North East as a priority for investment.

Stephen told the audience about how the Cummins structure supports its businesses in each country - with Darlington a vital part of the Cummins engine.

To give us a wider North East picture, Tom Lonsdale said the hundreds of businesses the chamber works with are battling economic headwinds, but still know the value of investing to move forwards.

On an even larger scale, Elizabeth Scott said the conversation with businesses across the county was a vital part of their work if they were to make investment decisions that affect them all.

As investment draws in more businesses, housing needs to grow as well so believe housing has building at the core of their strategies, but for Louise Taylor it is the people living in their homes that benefit most from the right decisions made at believe.

The Northern Echo: Mike Hughes, Peter Caine, Amy Harhoff and Peter Arthy discuss the devolution dealMike Hughes, Peter Caine, Amy Harhoff and Peter Arthy discuss the devolution deal (Image: Newsquest)

The Teesside Freeport is a game-changer for the North East - and Nolan Gray told us how it will draw in businesses that will help grow a Teesside cluster based around breakthrough green technologies.

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After lunch Amy Harhoff was joined by Peter Caine, Quality Director at Black+Decker who are based just across from Thorn and Peter Arthy, Operations Director at Thorn Lighting, to be quizzed by Northern Echo Business Editor Mike Hughes on the £1.4bn devolution deal uniting local authorities in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, County Durham and Northumberland.

All said the deal was the right thing to do for the potential growth it would bring, and a show of hands from our audience gave an overwhelming vote of confidence to the move.

Peter Caine and Peter Arthy agreed that a calm approach and a steady pair of hands was vital for the person chosen to be the new mayor of the combined authority.

 

A full report of the event will be online here and in print for The Northern Echo next Wednesday.