FEATURE
Tees mayor Ben fishing for more big Tees wins
Angling for success
Fresh from a landslide election victory , Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen talks to Peter Barron about his ambitious plans to build on the foundations laid during his first four years in power …
PICTURES BY GRAEME ROWATT
A cross the car park from the office block , two young lads armed with fishing rods have skidded up on their bikes , hoping to catch a “ big ‘ un ” in the River Tees .
Stephen Keightley and Lewis Pattison , both 17 , are regulars at Prince ’ s Wharf , Stockton . “ Look , you can see all the fry ,” says Stephen , pointing to the tiddlers close to the surface . “ But you can get some decent-sized perch here – usually with maggots but we ’ re trying worms today .”
Upstairs , in Cavendish House , Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen also has fishing on his mind . Perhaps inspired by the view of the river – and before the first question has even been asked – he begins reminiscing about going fishing as a kid with his dad . “ He was a keen river fisherman , and he used to take me with him , but I got bored sitting there hour after hour , only catching tiny little perch and roach ,” he recalls . “ I always preferred going carp fishing in the Lakes because I was only ever interested in catching big fish .”
He goes on to tell how he was 13 when he caught his biggest fish – a 22lb carp . “ I was done with it after that – these days I ’ d only want to go sea fishing and try to catch something massive .”
It ’ s an analogy that sums up Mr Houchen ’ s approach to politics : “ Go big or go home .”
“ A place like Teesside has been neglected for too long , so nothing ’ s going to change by just tinkering at the edges ,” he adds . “ Why shouldn ’ t we try
something big and transformational ?”
The big fish that have been landed so far include fulfilling his 2017 headline election pledge with a £ 35m deal to buy Teesside International Airport . Four years on , the terminal building has undergone a multi-million-pound revamp , with new restaurants , shops and bar .
And the first Ryanair flight from the airport in a decade took off for Majorca at the start of June at the beginning of a seven-year agreement , which the mayor hopes will lead to the airline setting up a permanent base .
Meanwhile , work is progressing on Teesworks – the site of the former Redcar steelworks – to prepare land at South Bank for GE Renewable Energy ’ s 78,000-square metre wind turbine blade factory . The aim is to transform the site into the UK ’ s premier location for offshore wind , and the GE Renewable Energy plan will create around 2,000 jobs during construction , with another 750 on completion and 1,500 in the supply chain .
At the start of March , Teesside was selected as one of eight freeports in England , with Mr Houchen estimating it will pave the way for 18,000 jobs due to a package of tax reliefs , simplified customs procedures and streamlined planning processes to stimulate investment and innovation .
That news coincided with chancellor Rishi Sunak also confirming in his Budget speech that 750 Treasury jobs would be moving to Darlington .
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