Updated 10:53am 11 February 2012:

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Kevan Carrick

Kevan Carrick

Chancellor needs to oil the wheels

WITH Budget Day looming on April 22 my thoughts turned to second guessing what the Chancellor might do.Read

We don't need uncertainty now

I TRY to avoid getting political in this column – in fact in all walks of life. My view is that we probably have one of the best constitutions in the world and you have to deal with whoever is in power at the time.Read

A time to show our enterprise

HOW did we get to where we are? Many reasons, I suspect that others are far better qualified to talk about. Read

Attracting investors

PROFESSOR Michael Parkinson is the director of the European Institute for Urban Affairs at Liverpool John Moores University and last October, in a keynote address at the Northern Regeneration Conference, he stated: "It’s time for the public sector to step up to the plate".Read

We face a skills shortage once the recession is over

THE subject of skills has arrived at the top of the agenda and rightly so. The recession is now biting all sectors of the economy with one common denominator – it's taking with it a whole raft of highly skilled workers from Britain's key industries.Read

Strong voice more important than ever now

TO WORK our way out of recession we need to achieve economic growth and, naturally, economic development and regeneration have topped the political agenda in recent weeks.Read

Businesses shouldn’t be bled dry by tax 'leeches'

THE threat of the biggest rise in business rates since the modern system began in 1993 filled my heart with dread when I heard about it this week.Read

We must have determination to succeed

SANDMAN Hotel Group’s acquisition of the Scottish and Newcastle site last week is a huge boost for the city. Major international investors need to perceive a strong market to justify this kind of development. Read

Act now to protect valued staff

HEARING of yet more job losses this week prompts me to encourage firms faced with redundancies to do all they can to retain their staff, rather than retrenching them now and regretting it later.Read

Caution over confidence boost

LIKE much of the region’s business community, I welcomed news last week of the Government’s £20bn loan guarantee scheme to help small and medium sized businesses. In principle, it all sounds great. Read

'Mega agency' report meets with criticism

IT came as no surprise to me that last week’s report from London-based think-tank 'Centre for Cities' – which suggested the creation of a new 'mega' development agency for the North – was met with resounding criticism.Read

Bring back JESSICA – and soon

I READ with interest One North East’s recent announcement on the new £125m JEREMIE super fund that will come into fruition in 2010 (Journal, November 22). It did, however, raise the question whatever happened to its sister fund JESSICA?Read

Longer-term steps needed to tackle economy problem

CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling’s Pre-Budget Report detailed a number of short-term measures to support the UK economy during this uncertain time, but we need longer-term steps to achieve a more fundamental change in such a challenging economy.Read

Bankers must act as bankers

THERE is a lot on the news agenda at the moment, so a conference taking place entitled Current Impacts: Future Trends won’t get much of a mention in many newspapers.Read

It’s a time for forging strong relationships

IN THE current financial downturn, I’ve noticed the nasty ‘i’ word – insolvency – is cropping up frighteningly frequently. It’s a growing issue for commercial tenants and landlords to overcome, but for both parties this is for very different reasons.Read

Nobody can prosper by going it alone

THE UK economy has undergone major change in the past 12 months, presenting challenging times for all those involved in property and construction. Read

Firms ignore biggest potential saving

NEW legislation governing the energy performance of commercial property came into force on October 1 requiring all commercial premises which an owner intends to sell or let to have an energy performance certificate (EPC). Read

Everyone is worse off after ministers’ empty gesture

SIX months ago, the Government decided to restrict empty property rate relief. As the controversy surrounding the move continues, I wanted to take a look at the impact it’s having on commercial property and why, in my view, the effects have only been adverse.Read

Regeneration needs patience and skill

FOLLOWING last week’s column on Policy Exchange’s Cities Unlimited report, I thought it only fair to look more closely at the “unreported views” of author Tim Leunig who came under so much scrutiny from the media and opinion formers.Read

South setting itself up for massive fall

LAST week’s Cities Unlimited report from think tank Policy Exchange, which suggested that Northern cities such as Sunderland were beyond revival, sent shockwaves to the very core of all Northerners’ hearts.Read

Author Profile

Kevan Carrick is a partner in JK Property Consultants and provides strategic and development advice to both the public and private sectors on the formation of strategic regeneration schemes and development opportunities linked with property market and economic advice, compulsory purchase, funding and dispute resolution. He has been lead consultant on a number of projects including Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne. He is a board member of Durham Vision 2020 (Public/Private Partnership) and is chairman of Percy Hedley Foundation, a registered charity providing for the education and care of children and adults with special needs. He is also policy spokesman for the RICS in the North East Region. He is Chairman of Northern Dispute Resolutions an organization to promote the use of mediation and the appointment of mediators.

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