Location , location , location – Teesside was chosen as one of only eight freeport zones during the spring 2021 Budget .
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Spring Budget gets national headlines for Tees region
BY MARTIN WALKER
I
t was arguably the most generous Budget in living memory for the Tees region .
Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered a headline-grabbing speech in the House of Commons which reached nearly every corner of the Tees Valley .
After months of consultation , commentary and speculation , the Tees region was confirmed as one of eight freeport zones .
The chancellor said freeports – “ special economic zones with different rules to make it easier and cheaper to do business ” – will be located on Teesside , along with East Midlands Airport , Felixstowe and Harwich , the Humber region , the Liverpool City Region , Plymouth , Solent and Thames .
The Tees region ’ s freeport bid covered sites across the area , including Teesport , Teesworks , Wilton International , Teesside International Airport , the Port of Middlesbrough , the Port of Hartlepool , Liberty Steel and LV Shipping .
And on a momentous day , Darlington was revealed as the preferred location for the Treasury ’ s new northern regional campus .
Tees Business sent a letter to Rishi Sunak in February – signed by 115 business leaders – urging him to locate the campus in the Tees region .
The move will see 750 Treasury jobs move to our region , giving Darlington town centre and the region a major boost .
Meanwhile , two Tees towns hit the jackpot from the government ’ s Towns Fund .
Thornaby and Middlesbrough were two of 45 Town Deals included in the chancellor ’ s Budget , worth a combined £ 45.8m .
The cash will go towards revitalising both town centres as we emerge from the pandemic .
It was the freeport status that prompted Mr Sunak to single out the Tees region during his speech .
“ Let ’ s take just one of those places – Teesside ,” he said .
“ In the past it was known for its success in industries like steel , now when I look to the future of Teesside , I see old industrial sites being used to capture and install carbon , vaccines being manufactured , offshore wind turbines creating clean energy for the rest of the country , all located within a freeport and a Treasury just down the road and a UK infrastructure bank only an hour away .”
In developing the Tees freeport bid , Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen worked closely with all five local councils , along with local businesses that rely on the River Tees , as well as those across the region .
“ Future generations will look back on today and say this was the day Teesside , Darlington and Hartlepool was reborn as an industrial powerhouse ,” said Mr Houchen .
“ The Teesside freeport marks the start of us returning to our rightful place on the world stage as a global player in advanced manufacturing and engineering .
“ With the largest development site in western Europe , amazing infrastructure , a workforce to be envied and now the UK ’ s largest freeport , we ’ ve put the building blocks in place for local people to benefit from the tsunami of jobs and investment that will come to our area in the weeks and months ahead .”
Darlington fought off tough competition from Newcastle , Leeds
42 | Tees Business