Hundreds of Jobs in MIddlesbrough

Middlesbrough doesn't have car parking charges past 5:30pm it's free to park in all side roads and council owned car parks that are open, it's been that way for a number of years. Currently Capt Cook car park closes on the evening, about 6-7pm, I haven't seen any notices that that will change, but it may well be in the pipeline that no one has bothered to ask about yet.

I've just left a budget meting and things are getting very very tight, currently Year end 22/23 83% of the councils budget is spent on Children and Adult care! the budget is about £120million, I'm sure you can all do the maths.

So we're left with 17% to do everything else.
This is why car parking is going up, it's why street lights are getting turned off and it's why other much less palpable are going to happen in the next 2 months.

Basic fact is, we simply don't have any money.
 
Middlesbrough doesn't have car parking charges past 5:30pm it's free to park in all side roads and council owned car parks that are open, it's been that way for a number of years. Currently Capt Cook car park closes on the evening, about 6-7pm, I haven't seen any notices that that will change, but it may well be in the pipeline that no one has bothered to ask about yet.

I've just left a budget meting and things are getting very very tight, currently Year end 22/23 83% of the councils budget is spent on Children and Adult care! the budget is about £120million, I'm sure you can all do the maths.

So we're left with 17% to do everything else.
This is why car parking is going up, it's why street lights are getting turned off and it's why other much less palpable are going to happen in the next 2 months.

Basic fact is, we simply don't have any money.
What actually happens if a council spends over its budget?
 
There's nothing to do in the town centre on an evening now though.

I do think this may well prove to be a case of build it and they will come.
100%. These things exist elsewhere and work. Ultimately retail is on its backside so we can't continue to fill towns with shops and expect it to continue working, it needs things to get people into the town centre.

Lane7 was popular here and they opened centres in other parts of the country as well - if you look at their site they're in Newcastle Manchester Birmingham Liverpool Sheffield etc and opening in York Dublin Cardiff Glasgow Belfast etc - they obviously know what they are doing and we should be excited to have places willing to invest in our area and get it back on the map.

People currently go elsewhere for these type of things so that night leisure economy doesn't really exist in the town centre anymore other than the cinema which is about as on the outskirts of the town centre as you can possibly get.
 
It will work if the kids think that what's on offer isn't on offer on their own computers. Whether the parents can afford it is another matter.

There's a fear today that wasn't in play when the Forum opened over half a century ago and attracted kids from across the region (and still does), that kids can't travel by themselves, that society is now too dangerous.
 
Middlesbrough competing with Stockton it would seem. The plans for Stockton High Street and Town Centre sound better in my opinion. Plus once the river is opened up Stockton will look better than Middlesbrough too.
 
Middlesbrough competing with Stockton it would seem. The plans for Stockton High Street and Town Centre sound better in my opinion. Plus once the river is opened up Stockton will look better than Middlesbrough too.
How is it Middlesbrough competing with Stockton when they are creating totally different attractions. Stockton is knocking down one side of it's High St including an indoor shopping contre, to build a park fronting the river. It will be very attractive but will not be vying for the same customers as CC Square.
Middlesbrough centre, not fronting the river, doesn't have the option of simply knocking down it's shopping centres so it's more a case of horses for courses rather than direct competition.
 
What actually happens if a council spends over its budget?
We use reserves! which must be paid back the following year, this is one of the reasons the budget is so tight; as we used reserves this year, our reserves are at the lowest ever, and we have a legal duty to keep a reserves, we're at the lowest we can hold in reserves so we have to keep topping that up.

We have a legal duty to balance the books. If we can't do that we have to declare it- if we do that, government takes over and simply cancels all none statuary duties that the council currently do. so they balance the books for us, that will be very unpleasant! A number of councils will be doing this, one or two already have.
 
It will work if the kids think that what's on offer isn't on offer on their own computers. Whether the parents can afford it is another matter.

There's a fear today that wasn't in play when the Forum opened over half a century ago and attracted kids from across the region (and still does), that kids can't travel by themselves, that society is now too dangerous.
Presumably in other towns and cities kids also have computers at home. Just like people have TV's at gome and still go to the cinema or have ovens at gome and still go to restaurants.

Also this isn't just for kids. It's esports and gaming, which as I've said isn't really geared towards the 50+ male demographic of this forum but is a big market and growing. It'll be complimented by the boutique cinema which is also popular in other places.

How is it Middlesbrough competing with Stockton when they are creating totally different attractions. Stockton is knocking down one side of it's High St including an indoor shopping contre, to build a park fronting the river. It will be very attractive but will not be vying for the same customers as CC Square.
Middlesbrough centre, not fronting the river, doesn't have the option of simply knocking down it's shopping centres so it's more a case of horses for courses rather than direct competition.
I agree with this. I think Middlesbrough has more developed retail and less of an occupancy problem, Stockton has a very small retail area by comparison. But both are going in very different directions. I think the Leisure idea in boro is good because people currently go on days out to places for things like that - classic example being ghetto golf in Newcastle. We just don't have things like that here, and we need them to improve the amount and mix of people in the town both during the day and at night.

These things work in other places, they will work here. Town is adding things like the container bars/food outlets as well, all of which are positive.

Stockton needs that visual pick me up and a reduction in retail. They've lost most the big chains and had a lot of smaller units empty and big buildings like glam, post office and the hotel standing empty was awful. Having it opened up to the river again is going to be great
 
Venues like these exist in other towns. Lane 7 in boro was popular but only in a small venue, they're getting a much bigger venue.

Realistically these Leisure things are probably aimed at a much younger demographic than the majority of this board.
They probably are, and of course any jobs are welcome. The concerns are that :-

a - the leisure industry is largely going to provide low income jobs.
b - without resolving the areas wider employment issues with quality long term jobs, then there won't be enough disposable income to keep all these leisure businesses operable

and 'Eton College', lets call it what it is, Star Acadamies. Great for a small number of boys, useless for girls or the vast majority of people in the area. We need proper funding for the all students to achieve more, that could then attract more business to the area, to stop the brain drain.
 
They probably are, and of course any jobs are welcome. The concerns are that :-

a - the leisure industry is largely going to provide low income jobs.
b - without resolving the areas wider employment issues with quality long term jobs, then there won't be enough disposable income to keep all these leisure businesses operable

and 'Eton College', lets call it what it is, Star Acadamies. Great for a small number of boys, useless for girls or the vast majority of people in the area. We need proper funding for the all students to achieve more, that could then attract more business to the area, to stop the brain drain.
There are concerns with new ventures and repurposing buildings, sure, but we can't simply leave these properties empty until the area returns to the prosperity it enjoyed in the past so if private companies wish to move in and spend some money and take a considered chance, let them. What's the alternative?
 
There are concerns with new ventures and repurposing buildings, sure, but we can't simply leave these properties empty until the area returns to the prosperity it enjoyed in the past so if private companies wish to move in and spend some money and take a considered chance, let them. What's the alternative?
Oh absolutely, my problem is with the portrayal of this as some kind of huge win, it's not, it's a sticky plaster over a much bigger economic problem.
 
Presumably in other towns and cities kids also have computers at home. Just like people have TV's at gome and still go to the cinema or have ovens at gome and still go to restaurants.

Also this isn't just for kids. It's esports and gaming, which as I've said isn't really geared towards the 50+ male demographic of this forum but is a big market and growing. It'll be complimented by the boutique cinema which is also popular in other places.
Can't disagree with that. The Disney generation are changing the nation's culture.

Boutique cinemas still haven't taken off in declining areas. Do you think one or two will appear in this area?

We popped to Teesside Park to see a film last Saturday night, seemed to be quite a few there and more popular than the cinema in Middlesbrough, despite their being plentiful parking at Boro with a better choice of eateries.
 
Oh absolutely, my problem is with the portrayal of this as some kind of huge win, it's not, it's a sticky plaster over a much bigger economic problem.
The alternative is to do what Stockton are doing, knock them down. Hopefully this is the right choice for Boro.
 
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