StillCantPickAUsername
Active member
I don’t think the podcast says anything of substance.
Probably need to have another listen. The lack of transparency alone is enough to set the alarm bells ringing.I don’t think the podcast says anything of substance.
The alarm bells ring for every single major project ever.Probably need to have another listen. The lack of transparency alone is enough to set the alarm bells ringing.
But they won't. The whole point of the exercise is to do the opposite. It is naive to think otherwise.I did buy a copy of Private Eye when they did a 2 page special (not long ago) and if true what they listed was not acceptable, by the developers on the Teesworks site.
In my opinion the people (HM Treasury?) providing the funders need to act to ensure the money is more correctly spent.
You happen to own a plant machinery leasing company by any chanceThe alarm bells ring for every single major project ever.
The alarm bells ring for every single major project ever.
Not just that, but there was nothing to stop them creating them before Brexit - there are loads of them in Europe.Freeports are just waffle pushed by the tories to create illusory brexit benefits
There is no benefit whatsoever to the taypayer
The decision making process, from the outside, looks crazy. I hope your work is not too heavily impacted.Losing all these assets, possibly including where I work to what could end up being private landlords fills me with so much apprehension for the future of what on this council's watch is becoming an alarmingly failing town. I have never ever felt this way about Middlesbrough before - but I feel decisions are being made right now that frustrating and even alaming.
This is ultimately the problem. Each combined authority has ad hoc scrutiny structures and they all differ in quality. But they can be removed by the Mayor of the CA. Burnham did it with Manchester, he removed fire and police scrutiny boards that had been set up by the Police and Crime Commissioner. I worked on regional political structure a few years ago when the Local Enterprise Partnerships were created and the problem was that people don't want more politics and definitely don't like the idea of more politicians. The problem is that you need a structure in place to provide scrutiny and accountability other than the ballot box and the people on the scrutiny boards (usually Councillors outside of London) are very low quality. London has the assembly which provides the political institution to deliver scrutiny - but again, who wants more politicians? The North East voted against having a devolved assembly for that reason.The problem with Houchen, like all regional or local political appointments, is the absolute lack of accountability. There's only marginally more for MP's.
The executive positions within our four local authorities are all scrutinised and accountable, but the regional Mayor isn't.
Supporters of political appointments like this will say that they're accountable to the electorate, but that's nonsense really.
These roles are largely unchecked and is no surprise that there's such a lack of apparent transparency.
Whilst this is largely true. Special Economic Zones tend to move businesses rather than create them. It is something the architects of these policies are aware of and are trying to improve on. I was speaking to one of the first ministers who introduced these in Liverpool and London Docklands recently and he volunteered the opinion that they still don't have that right. I know from his experience, that there are frictions between getting stuff done in a timeframe that makes a difference to real people and achieving that in the most transparent way that brings a community with it.Teesside desperately needs some form of special economic zone status - many areas away from London are getting terribly short changed.
Legal and General released a report last night saying regional economic differences are still increasing.
Having a more balanced UK economy helps the UK tax payer, we have the most distorted economy in the Developed World.
The decision making process, from the outside, looks crazy. I hope your work is not too heavily impacted.
The get decision quick/lack of accountability trade-off is really worrying. The quality of the majority of local representatives is concerning too and the TVCA and MDC makeup is taking away from what little effective scrutiny there is. Looking at the documents officers produce for the current scrutiny procedures, what stands out is that the quality is shocking. But this is all perpetuating. Ultimately it does have an impact on the town. Poor decision-making processes, little accountability, poor quality of scrutiny, and deprivation means that local members will be more like social workers for their communities. Council Officers won’t want to be there and those who do have little accountability over their actions.
This is ultimately the problem. Each combined authority has ad hoc scrutiny structures and they all differ in quality. But they can be removed by the Mayor of the CA. Burnham did it with Manchester, he removed fire and police scrutiny boards that had been set up by the Police and Crime Commissioner. I worked on regional political structure a few years ago when the Local Enterprise Partnerships were created and the problem was that people don't want more politics and definitely don't like the idea of more politicians. The problem is that you need a structure in place to provide scrutiny and accountability other than the ballot box and the people on the scrutiny boards (usually Councillors outside of London) are very low quality. London has the assembly which provides the political institution to deliver scrutiny - but again, who wants more politicians? The North East voted against having a devolved assembly for that reason.
Whilst this is largely true. Special Economic Zones tend to move businesses rather than create them. It is something the architects of these policies are aware of and are trying to improve on. I was speaking to one of the first ministers who introduced these in Liverpool and London Docklands recently and he volunteered the opinion that they still don't have that right. I know from his experience, that there are frictions between getting stuff done in a timeframe that makes a difference to real people and achieving that in the most transparent way that brings a community with it.
I asked him how he managed it in Liverpool and he just said "I thought it would be a good idea to ask the people who live there if it was something they might want. And then I listened to them". A novel idea for a politician!
This can be done by government fiat. It doesn't need opaque political arrangements to bring it about.A good post - I wasn't suggesting the zones could create wealth on their own, but by relocating economic activity on a national scale a better balanced economy is created. so the Zone would be more for larger employers and busineses would not qualify if they have moved jobs from less than 20 miles away etc. The civil service jobs moving to Darlington from London is an example of the economic activity that should make some change. I was told ICI was given carrots and sticks ot move chemical production to new site at Wilton from places like Croydon in the 1940s and 50s and Wilton and Teesside benefitted for another 40 years on that decision. Without Government intervention it would not have happened.
Yeah. History central Government had more power to determine where things could be located but generally there was more of an industrial strategy and public-private cooperation meant a different thing to what it does now.A good post - I wasn't suggesting the zones could create wealth on their own, but by relocating economic activity on a national scale a better balanced economy is created. so the Zone would be more for larger employers and busineses would not qualify if they have moved jobs from less than 20 miles away etc. The civil service jobs moving to Darlington from London is an example of the economic activity that should make some change. I was told ICI was given carrots and sticks ot move chemical production to new site at Wilton from places like Croydon in the 1940s and 50s and Wilton and Teesside benefitted for another 40 years on that decision. Without Government intervention it would not have happened.
I agree. In my opinion Governments of the Right, Left and Centre have really failed to do this in the last 44 years, leaving the UK with such an unequal and unbalanced economy experts say its the most unequal in the Developed World. In this country it has led to angry voters. Doing nothing is not the answer neither. Some of the new economic zone is a start. If Labour do get in 2024 it will be interesting to see what they do with regards economic development in areas such as Teesside.This can be done by government fiat. It doesn't need opaque political arrangements to bring it about.
The unbalanced economy surely seems from the fact that London is just so much bigger than any other city and so just keeps sacking in talent and resources.I agree. In my opinion Governments of the Right, Left and Centre have really failed to do this in the last 44 years, leaving the UK with such an unequal and unbalanced economy experts say its the most unequal in the Developed World. In this country it has led to angry voters. Doing nothing is not the answer neither. Some of the new economic zone is a start. If Labour do get in 2024 it will be interesting to see what they do with regards economic development in areas such as Teesside.
I saw recently MP Simon Clarke advertising Levelling Up Money will be devoted to solving the Marton Crawl. Levelling up money is going into renovation work opening up the arches of Yarm Town Hall and soon for a new conference centre in Preston Park. You may well ask just is this levelling up or merely creating more us and them disparities in our area. Similar schemes for Billingham town centre for instance are not being backed, nothing to do with the party of the local sitting MP.The unbalanced economy surely seems from the fact that London is just so much bigger than any other city and so just keeps sacking in talent and resources.
Other countries tend to have large population centres distributed so more than 1 that is close to 7x bigger than anywhere else.
I have no idea how you solve this without actually hobbling London to force people to move eg migrate elsewhere in UK