North East business leaders, politicians, and just about everyone else has been responding to yesterday's Policy Exchange report. The report's authors said it might be "barmy", while others have called it "wrong", "a huge misjudgement", and "worked out on the back of a menu in some Chelsea wine bar".
Ross Smith, head of policy and research at the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) said: "This report is wrong as a description of what's happening. The North East has been the fastest growing region economically in recent years and both people and businesses are choosing to locate here in increasing numbers.
"It is also wrong in terms of strategy - the notion that the UK should deliberately try to have an imbalanced economy with resources piled into one small corner of the country is a recipe for strangulating growth and missing out on enormous potential across all regions."
Northern politician Timothy Kirkhope, MEP for Yorkshire and The Humber, said: "I think this report is utterly patronising and looks as if it has been worked out on the back of a menu in some Chelsea wine bar.
"These people haven't got the foggiest idea about the importance of the North of England or its relationship to the UK economy as a whole, nor have they any idea whatsoever how hard the people of the North work to keep our economy on the rails."
Pamela Hargreaves, Head of Region for Make Your Mark in the North East, said:"There are no ‘no go areas' for enterprise in this region. "There are plenty of successful new businesses or social enterprises in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and Tees Valley.
"The report does highlight two important issues though: successful regeneration needs to focus on enterprise culture and attitudes to business, as well as buildings and we need to encourage and support entrepreneurs across this region."
Colin Stratton, FSB Regional Chairman for the North East of England, said: "Regeneration is a constant process and needs to be tackled in a fair and acceptable way nationwide. To suggest that a geographical favoritism should be imposed on regeneration and Northern towns should be cast aside and ignored is a huge misjudgment on the part of the Conservative party. The North East Federation of Small Businesses condemns such suggestions and considers the comments of the think-tank to be ill-advised and of great embarrassment to the party."
To add your opinion to the debate, just go to bdaily.info/news/business/north-east-hits-back-at-doomed-north-claims.
My wife and I moved to the North East and settled in Whitley Bay 31/2 years ago. Why? because of the beauty of the area, the friendliness of the people and we were sick and tire of the rat race that was moving the North South divide up past the Midlands, I suggest that the report gets off his backside and travels up to the North just to see what is happening in the area. We do have problems here in Whitley Bay with regeneration and the lack of insight into what needs doing here, we hear of the Spanish City and the Playhouse being refurbished but can we see action? NO! I think the local government read this report prior to anyone else and have taken it to heart and said that's the way for us to go - stand still and do nothing and perhaps the locals will move to other areas and there will be no need for us to even try to do anything. We love Whitley Bay and the North East and are proud to show it off to friends from the South who visit us, so come on give the North the credit it deserves there is more than one capital city in the UK and it certainly is not London.
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