ThatFragranceGuy
Well-known member
Course he does but not a photo op is it?
750 Jobs to Teesworks.
- Thread starter BlindBoyGrunt
- Start date
Adi_Dem
Well-known member
Yes, he does.
This one is a particularly interesting story. Putting to one side the utter drivel that comes out of Houchen's mouth (compare his promised jobs with the reality, look closely at what has happened to the airport and to Teesworks - you don't need to be a genius), very recently a significant grant was awarded to Wilton Engineering to purchase the Haverton Hill monopile production facility (that's right the very same kind of production facility that will now instead be built from scratch at Teesworks). Here is what Mr Houchen had to say:
"Wilton Universal Group has developed an enviable reputation second to none when it comes to manufacturing and moving large complex structures offshore.
“As a region we are at the forefront of the UK’s green industrial revolution and companies like Wilton are playing a huge part of this.
“The expansion will see more good-quality, well paid jobs created for local people in a sector that is going to from strength-to-strength in the months and years ahead."
That site is now being leased (in its entirety) to a number of local companies. The monopile rolling and manufacturing plant and equipment (the only of its kind in the UK) has been flogged.
No additional jobs have been or will be created there. Yet the grant was paid (a jobs based grant) and now a new monopile production facility will be built from scratch with more subsidy.
I am sure people can join those dots and don't need anyone to spell anything out to them.
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ThePrisoner
Well-known member
He has chucked massive amounts of your money at a private company to move jobs from Humberside to Teesside. Genius!Well done Ben Houchen
Nobby_Barnes
Well-known member
Nero
Well-known member
The thing with Houchen is he can just turn up for PR purposes and immediately prior give him credit for stuff that probably would have happened anyway. I hope for the area the Teesworks site becomes a success but it wouldn't be a surprise if it fell flat.
If GE have already put their plans (massively announced by Houchen) on hold it shows failing flat is a possibility.
If GE have already put their plans (massively announced by Houchen) on hold it shows failing flat is a possibility.
ThePrisoner
Well-known member
BoroFur
Well-known member
Ah yes, Wilton Engineering.
It's amazing how its owner is so close to the Tory Party. Does loads of work for charitable causes but somehow the irony is lost on him that it's the Tories 12 years of austerity which means he has to do CEO sleepouts and food bank donations.
I'll always remember when his mate, a local PR guru (I won't name him, he'll sue me) bought and paid for Johnson to visit Wilton Engineering during the 2019 GE campaign.
The sight of those welders and platers holding up 'We love Boris' placards sickened me to the stomach.
Adi_Dem
Well-known member
I know exactly who you mean in PR and your assessment of him is spot on.
thewanderer
Well-known member
I also know this person. Used to work in the same building, he's a grade A prat.
Redwurzel
Well-known member
I am not too interested in personalities and PR. I like to see a collection of stats showing improvements or the opposite, to make an opinion.
I do visit Teesside about 12 times a year and have done over a long period. I tend not to visit industrial sites.
My personal observations were of a steady decline in economic activity and general prosperity for many years, depressingly so, right back to around 1979/80. I did try to find employment on Teesside in 1984/5 after getting a degree at the Poly.
In the last 6 years - the Centre of Middlesbrough has particularly suffered from the closure of major retailers, continuing social deprivation amongst a significant segment of the local population close the centre. Although the University sector has expanded. The train station was a complete mess. Bit by bit over the Border has improved, but there is a long way to go,
Unlike many urban areas Middlesbrough appears not have gentrified in the last 30 years. Many areas around Middlesbrough (say 5 mile radius) have followed suit to a lesser degree, with evidence of some growing social disorder and lack of comfortable prosperity. A general feeling of seeing better days and being left behind. Unlike say Sheffield where most of the lost manufacturing jobs have being replaced by service jobs I get the impression there has not being a significant increase in white collar service sector jobs.
On the positive - The stats show unemployment has decreased in the last 10 years (all over the Tees Valley) and there is some physical evidence of improvements - Globe Theatre, Regent Cinema, new buildings and roadworks in Middlehaven, the River Tees is more busy than say in 2016, lots of new housing has been put up. There seems to be a bit more traffic on the roads. Areas on the edge of Teesside do feel more prosperous such as Saltburn, Yarm, Great Ayton i.e where there are significant clusters of middle class professionals.
Overall It does feel like the economic decline has stopped, but in general it has not reversed yet with a lot of announcements but many of these projects still in relatively early stages. But this makes a pleasant cahnge for the almost constant drip of bad news and announcements of say 6 years ago.
I do visit Teesside about 12 times a year and have done over a long period. I tend not to visit industrial sites.
My personal observations were of a steady decline in economic activity and general prosperity for many years, depressingly so, right back to around 1979/80. I did try to find employment on Teesside in 1984/5 after getting a degree at the Poly.
In the last 6 years - the Centre of Middlesbrough has particularly suffered from the closure of major retailers, continuing social deprivation amongst a significant segment of the local population close the centre. Although the University sector has expanded. The train station was a complete mess. Bit by bit over the Border has improved, but there is a long way to go,
Unlike many urban areas Middlesbrough appears not have gentrified in the last 30 years. Many areas around Middlesbrough (say 5 mile radius) have followed suit to a lesser degree, with evidence of some growing social disorder and lack of comfortable prosperity. A general feeling of seeing better days and being left behind. Unlike say Sheffield where most of the lost manufacturing jobs have being replaced by service jobs I get the impression there has not being a significant increase in white collar service sector jobs.
On the positive - The stats show unemployment has decreased in the last 10 years (all over the Tees Valley) and there is some physical evidence of improvements - Globe Theatre, Regent Cinema, new buildings and roadworks in Middlehaven, the River Tees is more busy than say in 2016, lots of new housing has been put up. There seems to be a bit more traffic on the roads. Areas on the edge of Teesside do feel more prosperous such as Saltburn, Yarm, Great Ayton i.e where there are significant clusters of middle class professionals.
Overall It does feel like the economic decline has stopped, but in general it has not reversed yet with a lot of announcements but many of these projects still in relatively early stages. But this makes a pleasant cahnge for the almost constant drip of bad news and announcements of say 6 years ago.
Redwurzel
Well-known member
I am not been critical but I would be interested in the unemployment statistics for the Tees Valley from say 2010 to 2022. Also the numbers in employment and average wage/salary figures. (with souces).
I fully agree about the Welders. I was astounded when I saw it. Does anyone know who they were? The backbone of Teesside industry toadying to that horrible man and his horrible party. He and they do not give a schit about your typical Teesside worker.
mborolad01642
Member
Please provide evidence?
Nobby_Barnes
Well-known member
Photoshopped...
Nero
Well-known member
Sadly not I suspect. I know a few lads in that type of trade who voted for "Boris". Most did so because of their support for "Get Brexit Done" mind.
gregorgregorovich
Well-known member
Houchen himself said it, in a podcast or some such social media interview that he organises, a net job loss figure of 16,500. I think the "interview" was done around 12 months ago.
Ironops
Well-known member
Im not sure unemployment figures will tell you much - I doubt its changed drastically over 20 years let alone 10. What probably has changed or would tell a story is real wages over that period - have they gone up, down or stayed the same? That may give a better indication of how the economy had done.
motownjunk
Well-known member
Unemployment figures over that length of time will not tell you that much as rules and definitions of unemployment have changed radically over that time. A better measure would be the rate of employed and self employed people. Another guide would be the rate of economically inactive people between 16 and 64, this give a good idea of how good the job market is at any given time.
Unravel_Morrison
Well-known member
You should do, because at some point other areas will nick work through grants and loans, like Teesside has here.Not interested in Humberside
Thanks
It's just throwing money at something where it doesn't need to be thrown.
It's the same as paying financial service companies to move call centres around the same area; even done transparently it's borderline corruption.
newusername
Well-known member
I was onsite for a project meeting a couple of weeks ago, height of party stuff & was surprised at the support Johnson had, even from the drainage contractor's labourer "who else is there to vote for?".