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As a businessman with 45 years’ experience of helping companies to prosper, Glyn Llewellyn knows the importance of having a solid plan. “You need a clear vision, ambitious goals, and the right people working together to deliver them,” he declares.
And, as chair of County Durham Economic Partnership, Glyn has the same philosophy when it comes to the Inclusive Economic Strategy that was adopted by Durham County Council last December as the roadmap to the county’s economic prosperity up to 2035.
The strategy’s overarching aim is to create more and better jobs in an inclusive, green economy. But Glyn’s wealth of experience tells him there is another vital ingredient in any business plan – flexibility.
“You have to be prepared to adapt, and the Inclusive Economic Strategy is no different,” he adds. “We’ve now got a solid foundation for progress – something to aim for – but it has to have as much flexibility as possible because things happen.”
The two years that Glyn has spent as CDEP chairman illustrate his point perfectly. He was appointed into the key voluntary role in April 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, and economic fallout from Brexit. Since then, there’s also been the global impact of the war in Ukraine, and the cost-of-living crisis, so he’s used to dealing with the unexpected.
Ironically, Glyn had no clear plan of his own as a young man. He’d grown up in Shildon, where his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all worked on the railways – helping to deliver a world-changing vision that had taken root in County Durham.
“I wanted something different, but I had no real idea what it was,” he admits.
He signed up at a civil engineering college in Norfolk but quickly left that profession to start making his way in the world of business. Over the years, he’s put plans in place to help turn round failing companies, or built new businesses, across a range of sectors, including manufacturing, software, training, and legal. Since 2014, he’s been CEO of Morton’s Law firm, and has spent 16 years as managing director of SRG Business Solutions.
“It’s all about the people, and giving them confidence through clear strategies,” he says, citing the example of how he’d once bought the assets of an insolvent manufacturing company in the North East.
“I got the employees together and told them ‘This is where we are, and this is where we need to get to’. It’s gone on to become very successful through their actions,” he explains.
And, in the context of Durham’s Inclusive Economic Strategy, it’s the people of the county who have to be taken on the journey to success.
The vision and priorities within the strategy have been shaped by an Economic Statement, which shows that County Durham has a strong and diverse economy worth £8.8 billion, with 14,000 businesses and significant strengths in advanced manufacturing, and health and life sciences.
However, it also highlights that between 2006 and 2020, the county’s economy grew by 26.8 per cent, compared to the national figure of 49.8 per cent.
“If we are going to close that gap, and fulfil the county’s undoubted potential, all our partners have to work together and be part of planning for a more prosperous future,” says Glyn.
“We’ve got a strategy that can make a massive difference to everyone who lives in County Durham – so let’s deliver it together.”
A laser focus on delivery
For Amy Harhoff, 2023 has to be the year of delivery – when Durham County Council works with its communities and businesses on the road to achieving the goals mapped out in the Inclusive Economic Strategy.
Residents, businesses, and young people have all played a part in shaping the strategy through the Big Econ-versation last year. The wide-ranging consultation exercise gave local people an important voice in planning the county’s future.
“That extensive public engagement process through our Econ-versation has been crucial in forming the strategy, and now it’s about stakeholders continuing to work together with a laser focus on delivery,” says Amy, who is Durham County Council’s corporate director for regeneration, economy and growth.
2023 will see the development of the Inclusive Economic Strategy delivery plan which, developed in partnership with the county’s businesses and communities, will set out the council’s future integrated programme of investments that will underpin its ambitions for growth.
“In the county, we are laser focused on delivering now for the future, with some exceptional programmes progressing this year,” says Amy.
They include starting construction on Phase Three of the North East Technology Park (NETPark), at Sedgefield, which represents more than £60m investment by Durham County Council to finance an expansion that will provide up to 232,000 sq ft of new laboratory, office, production and storage space and 1,200 new jobs for the region.
The new phase will build on the already successful NETPark, which is home to over 40 companies employing more than 600 people and is firmly established as one of the UK’s premier science parks. And, more than 20 years after its launch, Amy views the site as a prime example of the kind of business community that needs to be replicated in the county.
“With a proven track record on sectoral clusters and momentum driven by the co-location of innovation driven industry, NETPark is a live example that this model works in the North East and County Durham, achieving benefits throughout the region’s supply chain”, she says.
Building on the successful principles of clustering major high growth sectors, which create high value jobs and support entry level roles into sectors, by autumn, the county council is expected to go to market for a partner to develop Aykley Heads, in Durham City. The highly connected, green park innovation district will offer 38,500 sqm of office space in 19 buildings, creating up to 4,000 high-growth, accessible jobs in fintech, green energy and life sciences.
This emerging innovation district already benefits from key organisations such as ATOM Bank, North East Chamber of Commerce and Durham University’s business school, and will sit alongside the 450,000 sq ft mixed-use Milburngate development, providing a 92-bed hotel, 153 apartments, cinema and new office space.
Meanwhile, plans to reopen the DLI Museum and Art Gallery are expected to attract between 60,000 and 150,000 visitors a year to the city. Alongside planning permission and its accessible location within a seven-minute walk of direct train services to London, Aykley Heads is set for considerable market interest.
The continuing transformation of Bishop Auckland is another example of a place-led approach to redeveloping the town with an inclusive approach to delivery. With more than £65m of government funding secured and extraordinary philanthropic investment from The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland has been highlighted by government as a national exemplar in partnership working. The latest stage of the town’s regeneration was unveiled recently by Durham County Council, with plans for a new bus station and adjacent 120-space car park.
Meanwhile, delivery of the Eastern Sustainable Access Corridor link road will provide the infrastructure needed to unlock the attractions delivered by The Auckland Project and 11 Arches, including an annual programme of 225 special events, such as Kynren.
By reducing vacancy rates and bringing buildings back into use with a more diverse and modern retail, hospitality and accommodation offer, the Property Reuse Fund will help bring significant economic benefits to the town by attracting visitors who will want to stay longer, leading to higher levels of spend during visits.
Inclusivity is key, with the Bishop Auckland Strategic Advisory Group bringing together a wide range of organisations and voluntary groups, including the The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland Town Council, the Town Team, Heritage Action Zone, Let’s Clean Up Bishop Auckland, the Brighter Bishop Auckland Partnership, and the Stronger Towns Board.
“Bishop Auckland is rightly held up as a national example of leadership and regeneration, and the community has been the driving force,” says Amy.
“It’s happening, it’s real, it’s on the ground – and it’s an inspirational example of the kind of togetherness we want to encourage to deliver for the whole of County Durham.”
The strategy is built on five key areas:
• People – supporting people into education, training and jobs and enabling them to excel in careers and business.
• Productivity – supporting business innovation, growth and higher levels of productivity.
• Places – improving places and planning infrastructure so people and businesses can access opportunities.
• Promotion – promoting the county, its assets and opportunities to businesses, investors, visitors, developers and residents.
• Planet – investing in people, technologies, research, development and businesses to help achieve net zero emissions in County Durham by 2045.
Banking on the support of business
As one of the founders and guiding lights behind a Durham company that’s been a resounding success, Ed Twiddy is well placed to judge the county’s appeal as a place to do business. So, when he says the Inclusive Economic Strategy (IES) is “bang on” and deserves widespread support, it’s a voice well worth listening to.
Ed is a proud graduate of Durham University and has gone on to have a distinguished and varied career, including several posts in HM Treasury, from which he was seconded to become the first Director of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.
It was while he was at the LEP that he was approached about the prospect of creating the UK’s first app-based bank in the heart of Durham. The result was Atom Bank being formed as a company in 2014, then launched as a bank two years later.
Based at Aykley Heads, in Durham City, it now employs 460 people and has just announced 50 additional roles. Along the way, it has raised more than £400m of equity and has a balance sheet that’s recently been growing by £100m a week.
It’s an impressive story that stands as a model for County Durham’s future, and Ed is particularly excited by the emphasis the IES places on education.
“There is no alternative but for growth to be inclusive and for business to go hand in hand with societal success,” says Ed.
“The Inclusive Economic Strategy is bang on as a framework for us to close the gap in economic growth between Durham and the country as a whole, to bring everyone with us, and to retain and attract talent.
“We need to look for growth that has heart and soul, and it’s the reach the strategy has into educational institutions and pathways into employment that excites me most – both as an individual and as a business.”
Last September, Atom Bank signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with Durham University to carry out collaborative research into long-term opportunities and challenges facing both organisations and wider society, including climate change.
Atom Bank works with the university on work placements, and the business is committed to having links with all levels of education. This Easter, it will have six A-level students from Durham Sixth Form Centre on placement, and they will all be from free school meal backgrounds. At times, Atom Bank has up to 15 apprentices, and the biggest spend it has on any deal is a six-figure sum with The Prince’s Trust.
In addition, the business is exploring new ways to retain and attract the best talent, such as giving all staff the option of working a four-day week following a successful nine-month trial that ended last autumn.
“If we really believe in inclusive growth, we have to consider people who have caring responsibilities and different work-life patterns,” he adds. “We have to make working in County Durham more flexible, and by working a four-day week, we create the opportunity for people to spend more time putting a bit extra back into their communities.
“The North East is the most inclusive place I know, with the lowest levels of polarization, but that means growth has to come from within. We can’t hark back to disproven trickle-down economics, we have to take everyone with us – and that’s what the Inclusive Economic Strategy gives us the chance to do.”
- For more information, go to durham.gov.uk/economicstrategy
- Durham County Council is a partner in The Northern Echo’s Level Up campaign which is fighting for a fair deal for the North East on Government investment.
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