pierrequiroule
Well-known member
I found the article interesting, but am left with a sense of déjà vu. The comments are worth reading and highlight most of the problems.
Teesside Silicon Valley
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Juninho10
Well-known member
Not really, we have too many "fat cats" at the top - we need one single authority to rule over the whole Teesside region, it's the only way we're going to get somewhere
Just have a Tees Valley council and remove the single councils of Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool, Redcar, etc
Newcastle City Council's chief executive earns approximately £180,000 per year
Stockton Chief Executive: £155,644
Redcar Chief Executive: £168,146
Hartlepool Chief Executive £150,000
Middlesbrough Chief Executive: £148,000
So we have four Chief Executives on local councils earning between them £620,000 per year (approximately)
What a joke... The chief executive of Manchester City Council is only on £198,000
That's not even taking into account other senior roles such as "Head of Marketing", "Head of Planning", "Head of HR" etc for all four Teesside Councils - they must be wasting millions
Corcaigh_the_Cat
Well-known member
That's spot on, with four differing philosophies on the way forward.
The decision to go the way we did was an attempt to break up a strong Labour grip on an area.
We've seen the result of the decision all too clearly.
The decision to go the way we did was an attempt to break up a strong Labour grip on an area.
We've seen the result of the decision all too clearly.
go-nads!
Well-known member
Cash is limited, in this area we feed off scraps from central government. With four councwith differing agendas, they are competing against each other.
you only have to look at Redcars opposition to the Middlehaven plans and what it led to - stagnation.
having one unified authority will save on costs and lead to more cohesive planning for the area as a whole. Public transport for example could be massively improved in this area as it is pitiful.
you only have to look at Redcars opposition to the Middlehaven plans and what it led to - stagnation.
having one unified authority will save on costs and lead to more cohesive planning for the area as a whole. Public transport for example could be massively improved in this area as it is pitiful.
I have to be very careful what I say here - but I have tried to work with Tees Valley for a couple of years - and they are very helpful but never at any point can they offer actual money. That is carefully and centrally controlled. Politically controlled, you might say.
go-nads Tees Valley is responsible for transport infrastructure as a whole and is funded for this. So, that is one authority.
Spending can be closely controlled by the Tees Valley mayor.
Surely the issue of Middlesbrough and Andy Preston's plan is seperate to that. Will it work or will it be a very tall and visuiblr white elephant?
go-nads Tees Valley is responsible for transport infrastructure as a whole and is funded for this. So, that is one authority.
Spending can be closely controlled by the Tees Valley mayor.
Surely the issue of Middlesbrough and Andy Preston's plan is seperate to that. Will it work or will it be a very tall and visuiblr white elephant?
Corcaigh_the_Cat
Well-known member
I'd be surprised if some re-considering isn't taking place as a result of Covid19 and what is considered by many to be the succesful transformation to working from home.
I have a feeling office space may become widely available and rent prices may drop as a result. Prospective landlords may be a little shy when it comes to major investment in the near future.
I have a feeling office space may become widely available and rent prices may drop as a result. Prospective landlords may be a little shy when it comes to major investment in the near future.
It's also going to be very bumpy for local authorities in the next few years following covid. There's going to be some pretty big funding gaps. One well run authority I know of in London is having an emergency budget in September and will have to make £40m+ worth of cuts over the next 3 years as a result of covid. This is a result of the cost taken to tackle it at local level, loss of income and then shortfall of central government funding. This is in the context of a decade of austerity and year on year cuts. This may focus the minds again rather than spending tens of millions on skyscrapers.