Serving the Teesside Business Community | 23
Ambitious –
Middlesbrough
mayor Dave
Budd and chief
executive Tony
Parkinson have
mapped out the
town’s Investment
Prospectus.
Time to
talk up
our town
B
usinesses are being challenged to
play their part in Middlesbrough’s
rebirth and become outspoken
ambassadors for the town.
Mayor Dave Budd wants to build on
the area’s proud entrepreneurial past by
attracting more and more commerce. And he
believes we can all do our bit to help.
“This town was at the forefront of the
industrial revolution,” he says. “That spirit’s
still here. We have a high rate of SME start-
ups and, crucially, a higher proportion of
them tend to succeed.
“We’re in a great location. Visitors from
all over the country can’t believe we’re ten
minutes away from the seaside and ten
minutes away from Roseberry Topping and
the North York Moors.
“And then there’s the resilience, the
ingenuity and the resourcefulness of the
people. My granddaughter lives in London
and likes coming to Middlesbrough because
people smile and talk to you. We think that’s
normal, but in some places it isn’t.
“However, we’re sometimes embarrassed
to talk about the good things that are
happening here and we have to start doing
it more.
“Businesses need to talk the town up.
They have to follow the example of Psyche’s
Steve Cochrane – stick him in front of a
camera and he says such positive things and
means them.”
“The town branding work we’re doing is
about giving someone the story to tell about
the town,” adds Tony Parkinson. “We want
everybody to talk about Middlesbrough in
this way.
“We also need to be far bolder than we
have been in claiming Middlesbrough’s place
Vision – plans for Centre Square include
200,000 square feet of premium office
space bringing 2,000 jobs.
as the economic
city heart of the
Tees Valley city
region.
“We’re not
saying it’s any
more important
than anywhere
else, but if professional services jobs are
going to come to this area, the likelihood is
that they’re going to come to Middlesbrough.
“The seven components of the Investment
Prospectus interconnect to position
Middlesbrough as the major economic entity
between Newcastle and Leeds. It’s cheaper
to be here than either of those cities but it’s
just as easy to get to.”
The council also wants businesses to
help it deliver the second major strand of its
vision for the town – the social regeneration
strategy it launched in September.
“We’re creating the opportunities,
investors want to come here and that’s
great,” says Parkinson. “Actually getting into
communities and creating aspiration and
improving life chances is far more difficult
and we need help to do that.
“Business has a big part to play by
providing apprenticeship opportunities for our
more deprived youngsters and care leavers
and jobs for the long-term unemployed.
“We need much stronger relationships
with businesses to ensure people gain
qualifications for the growth areas we’ve
identified, such as professional services,
manufacturing and the digital industries.
“We don’t want low paid, part-time jobs,
we want to create well paid jobs that take
people out of welfare and improve health,
wellbeing and educational attainment.”
Both men praised social initiatives from
business such as Marks & Spencer and
Greggs and the work Middlesbrough Football
Club Foundation is doing throughout the
community.
And they say that if the town’s investment
strategy bears fruit and Middlesbrough
becomes a wealthier place, everyone will
benefit.
“Our council tax and business rates will
continue to rise, which is vital to protect
services,” says Parkinson. “We have to be
self-sustaining because in five years’ time
we won’t receive a penny from central
government and will only spend the money
we generate.
“We spend over £200m a year on services
to make people’s lives better. We can also do
that by improving the economy.
“Our message is that the council will do
all it can to assist businesses to locate and
stay here. Please help by talking the town up.
Nobody’s going to invest in a town nobody
loves or speaks highly of.”
While regeneration is very much a team
game, there are some things that neither
the two Boro-supporting council chiefs nor
business leaders can influence, however
much they would like to.
“Having Middlesbrough back in the Premier
League would also help massively with
everything we’re trying to do,” smiles Budd.