A vibrant region and a dynamic economy

Oct 18 2006 By Margaret Fay, Chairman Of Regional Development Agency One Northeast, The Journal

It has been a fantastic year for businesses in North-East England and The Journal Fastest 50 makes encouraging reading, demonstrating as it does the number of growing companies in the region.

There has been a host of real successes during the past 12 months, from Nissan's Sunderland factory recruiting 200 people to produce the new Qashqai model, to the expansion of mechanical engineering firms the Tanfield Group and Tyne and Wear Pallets.

I'm delighted to say One NorthEast has been actively involved with all these firms, along with a number of others, which all helps to boost the regional economy.

Firms such as M.K.W. Engineering, Metal Spinners Group and Miller UK - all of which appear in this year's Fastest 50 - have received assistance from the agency's North-East Productivity Alliance (NEPA), a programme which continues to deliver bottom-line benefits to a range of firms across the region.

Aimed at boosting skills, productivity and competitiveness, the industry-led programme places world class engineers, hand-picked from regional firms, into North-East businesses. Immediate benefits include reducing costs and training selected staff - so-called `change agents' - to spread and maintain NEPA best practice techniques after the engineers leave.

Another way we help companies is through our Business Finance team, which has worked with hundreds of companies around the region, including Metal Spinners Group Limited, to help them access SFI funding. The money can be used to help companies expand, create jobs and invest in state-of-the-art machinery.

Through programmes like this, One NorthEast has nurtured companies so they develop to their full potential.

And for them to be able to do that, it is vital that the economic conditions are in place to allow them to continue their upward path.

This will ensure the region's Fastest 50 businesses of today make their way into the national Top 200 poll of tomorrow.

The guiding principles towards building sustainable economic growth are contained in the new Regional Economic Strategy (RES).

Stakeholders across the public and private sectors have backed its vision to build a vibrant, self reliant, ambitious and outward looking region with a dynamic economy at its core.

A key area we have developed at One NorthEast to meet this aim is a Business Process Review - to develop and roll out a single, simpler, consistent process to approve projects under the programmes set out in our Business and Corporate Plans. This new process has been designed to better meet the needs of project applicants. The system has just gone live and feedback has been positive.

We will also be making improvements to our service to the business community through a streamlined Business Link, offering simplified support for regional companies.

Known as Business Link North-East, the service will be managed by the Coalition of Ambition on behalf of One NorthEast and the Learning and Skills Council, and will ensure a consistent level of service for businesses across the region.

I'm delighted the achievements of the region's firms are being recognised through the Fastest 50, which is helping to further this sense of optimism and demonstrate the strength and diversity of our economy.

North-East England is a region that is looking to the future, and I am confident it will be a bright one.