The voice of business in the Tees region | 9
/NEWS
/COMMENT
I’m steeling myself
for good news
I
More than 1,000 delegates visited the
Tees Valley Business Summit, held at
Teesside University.
BUSINESS SUMMIT ATTRACTS 1,000+ VISITORS
T
he region’s biggest business event
welcomed more than 1,000 industry
leaders, company owners and
managers from across Tees Valley for a sell-
out show.
This year’s packed Tees Valley Business
Summit, the eighth annual event, saw
more than 100 businesses, including Tees
Business – the voice of business in the Tees
region – exhibit at Teesside University’s
Olympia Building alongside a busy schedule
of workshops and networking.
At the summit, Tees Valley mayor Ben
Houchen welcomed delegates and also
and spoke about opportunities for local
businesses at Teesside International
Airport and the South Tees Development
Corporation.
Mayor Houchen said: “The Business
Summit is now firmly established as one
of the best places to gain invaluable insight
into how our vital companies – from SMEs
to market leaders – can grow and work
together. I was delighted to see that, once
again, there was a great mix of sectors
from across the region.
“This year, I could shout even louder
about what we are achieving in Teesside.”
Seminars included talks on Teesside
International Airport, led by the Tees Valley
mayor with the head of airport development
Phil Forster, and the STDC, by its CEO
David Allison.
Other topics covered involved finance,
international trade and marketing. For the
first time, a new Incubator Zone was on
hand to help small and micro businesses to
tap into specifically tailored support.
The Tees Valley Business Summit was put
together in association with the Tees Valley
mayor, Tees Valley Combined Authority,
Tees Valley Business Compass, North East
Enterprise Agency and Teesside University.
‘Courtyard socials’
come to Stockton
town centre
R
elax, enjoy and discover some of
Stockton’s town centre’s hidden
gems at The Courtyard Social – a
brand new event being held soon in the
Cultural Quarter under the Big Up Stockton
Campaign in collaboration with Stockton
Improvement District (BID) and Tees Valley
creative agency, One Of A Kind.
Establishments such as Hope and Union,
The Nuthatch, The Georgian Theatre and The
Wasp’s Nest will be the stars of the show,
doing what they do best – entertaining the
people of Teesside with their own unique
brand of hospitality, a sprinkling of live
music and delicious speciality beverages.
To complement the evening, ambient
outdoor music will add a backdrop to
visiting artisan street food traders such as
Brodie’s Tuk Truk, Mivesi Bangladeshi Street
Food, Armenian Family Bar and Kitchen,
’m sure many Teessiders will join me in
breathing a huge sigh of relief – not to
mention a cry of joy – if the current work
being done to save British Steel ends with
a successful outcome.
Since British Steel’s liquidation was
announced in mid-May, I and others
have met every week to discuss with
administrators, liquidators and official
receivers how we can save the company.
It would be a huge setback for the
Tees region and the positive momentum
we have gathered if British Steel were
to close – not least for the 700 people
directly employed by the firm at Lackenby
and Skinningrove.
We were delighted when a major Turkish
steelmaker came forward and announced
its intention to buy the company. As I
write these words, they are going through
the final stages of due diligence in a
process that I dearly hope will end in them
becoming the new legal owners of British
Steel in the very near future.
Although the Turkish firm’s parent
company is a major pension fund, it is
important to focus on the fact that the
firm is already the owner of a successful
steelmaking business that sees British
Steel as potentially a strong addition to its
portfolio.
While the deal isn’t done yet and nothing
can be guaranteed until they sign on the
dotted line, commercial terms have been
broadly agreed, while the government has
given assurances that it will support the
sale and that the proposed deal is a good
one for British Steel creditors.
If and when the deal is done, it will also
open the door to bring further investment
and jobs to the area in a deal that I will
unveil as soon as possible.
Ben Houchen
Tees Valley mayor
Rocket Pizza; Bumblebee Creperie and
Smoklahoma Pit BBQ as they take over
Green Dragon Yard.
Starting at 5pm and ending at 10pm,
this will hopefully be the first of many
gatherings which aim to create a more
interesting High Street and highlight some
of the amazing businesses there, as well
as encouraging some good old-fashioned
community spirit.
Details can be found on the Stockton
BID website – stocktonbid.co.uk – or on
Facebook @Stockton BID
The Tees Valley mayor and combined
authority have taken control of an
annual devolved budget of around
£29.5m to deliver adult education
provision across the region.
#TalkingUpTeesside #TalkingUpTeesValley