Middlesbrough not on final short list for treasury relocation

Part of Virgin/Stagecoach bid was that they promised a main line link to Middlesbrough station. Obviously Virgin/Stagecoach went to the wall but the station upgrade and London trains are still in the pipeline.
Darlington station is getting a major upgrade as well of course.
 
Centralscrutinizer said:
Freeport advantages for business are ‘almost non-existent’
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Well I guess there's no point us investing in them if the FT have decided there's no point to them. Just gonna have 10 empty free ports with no workers, ships or goods. What a mad idea. I fully retract my statements on the subject. Shame as I was looking forward to the boost to the local economy. Guess I'll just have to be a miserable sod like the rest of you and wish for nothing good to ever happen to my town. Oh well it was a great dream while it lasted
 
It was never happening for Middlesbrough and it makes more sense for Darlington really. Established train station on the East Coast Mainline with lots of daily trains to London. Teesside Airport very close with direct flights to Heathrow.
 
Middlesbrough is hardly that far from Teesside Airport, likewise from the East Coast Mainline - and isn't the point of something like this to be a big boost for the regions. Am sure if it goes to Darlington rather than say Leeds it will do this - but wasn't this a way government could have greatly benefited a town and an area. Especially after all the tax office jobs were plucked away.
 
Transport links to London are fairly irrelevant as this is a new hub for jobs in the North. People who do these jobs will mainly live reasonably close to their place of work. Whether a train takes 2.5h from Darlington, 3h from Eaglescliffe or 3.5h from Newcastle doesn't matter. How quickly they can get to London is about as relevant as how quickly Betty from the bakers next door can get there.

Another thing is this private schools and housing thing and employees needing a certain level of culture, etc. The jobs will be fairly average in terms of salary and filled by regular people. They will use normal local schools and buy average housing. And yes, they might go to the theatre, restaurant or a gallery sometimes. Just like millions of others around the country.
 
Londons_Moggie said:
Well I guess there's no point us investing in them if the FT have decided there's no point to them. Just gonna have 10 empty free ports with no workers, ships or goods. What a mad idea. I fully retract my statements on the subject. Shame as I was looking forward to the boost to the local economy. Guess I'll just have to be a miserable sod like the rest of you and wish for nothing good to ever happen to my town. Oh well it was a great dream while it lasted
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Blimey 😁
 
I guess it is just like when we bid for City Status - we did it totally in the dark as to what we would be judged on. A bit like World Cup bids - clouded in secrecy and so suspicion. It should be a very open and transparent process but as with City Status we were never at any time given any indicators whatsoever as to how we were being assessed. That cannot be fair.
 
There's little doubt that Darlington really needs a boost - to follow the passport office and Amazon - as its high street has been completely devastated.
 
Wilf said:
Darlo - that would be the train station home for the chancellor - its also the administrative centre for Railway Pensions.

Leeds will get it, its already the biggest financial sector outside of London.
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Leeds isn't the biggest financial centre outside London. Depending on what you measure, Manchester is generally bigger than Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow are the biggest pensions and fund management centres.

It would be great to see the Treasury located to Middlesbrough or Darlington, but I just don't see the facilities that a lot of civil servants would want and expect.
 
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fmttmadmin said:
Part of Virgin/Stagecoach bid was that they promised a main line link to Middlesbrough station. Obviously Virgin/Stagecoach went to the wall but the station upgrade and London trains are still in the pipeline.
Darlington station is getting a major upgrade as well of course.
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Its time we just got on with it Rob.
New road infrastructure procedes apace everytime, but getting a decent station in place is like dragging a bag of water uphill!
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Originally planned to be completed in 2022?!

 
Youngie said:
The transport links were always the let down for the Boro bid. Think about it... you can London to darlo in 2:20 on the fast train. Darlo to Boro takes an additional hour on something that resembles a bus on rails...is freezing cold or red hot and usually full of the dregs of society

Darlo also has an department for Education office that also promotes the positives
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I was nodding along in agreement with your post until you slipped in "usually full of the dregs of society". Do you include yourself in that when you make the journey or are you above your fellow travellers. Tasteless statement that wasn't called for.
 
In this day and age and i think lockdowns have proved. Do you really need transport links to London for office based jobs.?

Do you even need an office building?
 
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