We Need Vision and Leadership To Make The North East An Economic Powerhouse Again

I had a piece published in the Durham Times this week about what needs to be done to restore our region's economic fortunes.

You can find it here. I have also reproduced it in full below. Let me know what you think:

I attended the parade of banners on Miners' Gala weekend because I am enormously proud of our industrial heritage. Being brought up in Consett, with grandparents who worked as steelworkers and miners, I have the region's industrial heritage coursing through my blood.

I wanted to celebrate the past economic glory of the region, but I also believe that the event should serve as a reminder of the need for a serious debate about the region's future. There is no doubt in my mind that we have the skills, the people and the natural resources to become once again the leading economic region in the country.

My passion and belief in the region means that I am convinced that we will become an economic powerhouse again. But that can only be achieved if the present leadership vacuum is filled with vision and dedication.

What really galls me is the neglect and empty promises from a Government that takes your votes for granted and has failed to take the necessary steps to turn around our economic fortunes.

Indeed, in comparative terms with other regions, the North East's situation has got worse rather than better over the past decade. In terms of GDP per head, we are lagging behind other regions. Workers in the North East also have the lowest gross weekly pay in the country and the Work Foundation has ranked us bottom of the UK Regional Competitiveness Index. In North Durham alone, unemployment is a shocking 93 per cent higher than it was a year ago.

My family speaks with immense pride about their time working in our great industries. But that is in the past and I want today's young people to be able to speak with equal pride about our region's economic achievements to their Grandchildren in 50 years time.

I have no doubt that we have the potential to be trailblazers in the new economy, just as we were the epitome of excellence in the industrial economy of the last century. The legacy of our coal mining, steel working and ship building tradition can provide the basis for renewal. It is the highly skilled people who were integral to those industries who can and should be integral to making highly skilled occupations, including high technology and niche manufacturing, the core of North Eastern economic renewal.

Equally, the natural resources that made us an economic collosus in the past can do the same in the future. We can and should be world leaders in the use of clean technology, as well as clean coal and carbon capture. New technology, allied with existing talent and natural resources can make the North East a global leader in clean technology.

The industrial decline of the 1970s and 1980s was extremely difficult for our region. Its social consequences are still being felt to this day. My family and friends were affected by it. I'm acutely aware of that and it pains me.

But I'm not standing for the Conservative Party of the 1980s. I wasn't even born when Margaret Thatcher became Conservative Leader. Instead, I'm standing for the Conservatives of 2009 - who are serious about restoring the North East's economic fortunes. We need to move the debate on from the past to the future.

I believe in this region. I believe we have the potential to be at the top of the economic league table. To do that we need vision and leadership to match the brilliance of the region's people and our industrial past. We need to take action now to close this gap and retain our rightful place at the top of the economic league table.