WEAR WORDS
We asked nine Wear business leaders : How can a new prime minister help businesses on Wearside ? What policies would you like to see from a new PM ? Here ’ s what they said …
Peter Robinson , partner and head of corporate and commercial , Jacksons Law Firm Hopefully , any new PM will act with integrity and decency and help restore trust in government generally .
Whoever becomes elected , I ’ d like to see the levelling up promises reconfirmed and delivered in the North- East : an increase in productivity , better pay , better jobs , better living standards , better ( and more ) opportunities , better infrastructure , better public services and a growing regional community .
Helen Wall , senior surveyor , Bradley Hall Connectivity is a major area of concern when our agents speak to clients about investing on Wearside . While London has celebrated the opening of the £ 18bn Elizabeth Line this year , we ’ re still to see anywhere near the level of spending promised in the government ’ s Levelling Up white paper .
Durham and Sunderland are both undergoing huge transformation with Riverside Sunderland , Milburngate , IAMP and Integra 61 helping bring new , high-skilled jobs . But without serious investment into improved transport links , it ’ s hard to see how we will ever truly level up .
Matthew Fannan , director , Atom Financial While there has been a lot of welcome investment in the area , the new PM needs to really commit to the Levelling Up agenda by ensuring public spending per person in the north grows at a higher or at least consistent rate to other parts of the country . Wearside needs this investment to create more good quality , well-paid jobs so that it can unlock it ’ s potential .
In the short-term there needs to be additional support for businesses to help ease the burden of escalating energy price rises .
Louise Stephenson , managing director , WTTB As a print company with a huge number of resellers in the region , many of our customers supply SMEs and local , independent street outlets . The spiralling energy costs are something the new PM needs to address immediately . Without support , small operators will find it hard to continue .
There are many exciting developments in and around Sunderland , but we need continued government support . We have a strong and willing workforce and we must ensure they have every opportunity made available to them .
Gordon Cartwright , general manager , Lumley Castle Hotel A new PM needs to take a closer look at the support still necessary to get the hospitality industry back on its feet .
The impact of Covid is still being felt in our industry and that , coupled with the rising costs of living and staff challenges , means hospitality is not out of the woods yet .
The PM needs to look at the impact of the war in Ukraine on our industry and remember we are an essential part of the economy . VAT relief would be a great start !
Paul McEldon OBE , chief executive , North East BIC All businesses are suffering from increased costs . However , unlike domestic bills , there are no caps on business fuel bills and increases are putting business viability at risk .
Whilst larger businesses might be able to increase prices , the vast majority of Wearside businesses are part of long supply chains and can ’ t just put their prices up . So recognising this and offering support for business fuel costs would be helpful .
Richard Tucker MBE , founder , AA Caring Caretaker I hope the new PM will look at the financial position many businesses are in , and what they can do to help . For example , reducing tax pressures on businesses and increasing accessibility to borrow in order to invest , which will create jobs and reduce dependency on benefits .
I ’ d also like them to look at rewarding success rather than penalising entrepreneurs who innovate , are resourceful and create wealth .
Paul Wellstead , developer , Spectrum Business Park , Seaham As an office space developer , I want to see a probusiness focus . Our new leader needs to double down on levelling up the north , and the North-East in particular , to prevent it becoming little more than a soundbite .
We need a huge increase in transport investment , alongside an aggressive drive to push training , upskilling and workforce development .
We also need investment in rail , road and public transport to the level in the south-east .
Immigration policy needs an overhaul to ease the movement of labour from Europe .
Kevin Brown , CEO , Pacifica Group Achieving net zero as soon as possible must remain a priority and given an additional shockwave to speed up the journey . Levelling up must continue , but I would like to see the Northern Powerhouse initiatives reinvigorated as they laid the foundations for economic regeneration and prosperity .
It would also help encourage investment in skills for firms in the north that deliver services on a regional and national basis that generate income for our region .
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