THE government has been urged to put its money where its mouth is by investing millions in North-East jobs and industry.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has called on the Transport Secretary to award a £2.8bn train contract to Hitachi Rail Europe’s factory in Newton Aycliffe.

Two weeks after Hitachi said it would bid to build a new “bullet train for Britain’ to run on the proposed HS2 network, the mayor has said in a letter to Chris Grayling that awarding the contract to the County Durham firm would be a “monumental vote of confidence in Tees Valley’s workforce, world-class supply chain and the wider Northern Powerhouse”.

In the meantime, MP for Redcar, Anna Turley, has urged the Government to put £200m towards the regeneration of the SSI site to kick-start Teesside’s industrial renaissance.

In May the South Tees Development Corporation secured an agreement in principle with Thailand-based banks to gain ownership of the site. The next challenge is securing the funding to deliver on the masterplan for the site which aims to deliver 20,000 jobs. The Corporation are now negotiating with government for a £200m settlement to take on responsibility for the site and start regeneration work.

Speaking at Business, Energy and Industry Strategy questions yesterday, Ms Turley asked the Secretary of State, Greg Clark, to pledge the cash “and enable the Tees Valley to embark on its industrial renaissance?”

In response, Mr Greg Clark did not make a funding pledge but confirmed discussions were positive and that everyone recognised the future potential for the site. Ms Turley has also written to the Chancellor to lobby him to release the funding

Hitachi is bidding to design, manufacture and maintain of a minimum of 54 trains for the UK’s new railway line as part of a joint bid with manufacturer Bombardier.

Mr Houchen added: “Local people are not yet convinced of the benefits HS2 will bring to the region. In reality, they see a multibillion-pound railway from London to Birmingham and that’s it.

“That’s why the Government needs to award the train contract to Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe to demonstrate that all areas stand to benefit.

“The Secretary of State has visited the Tees Valley on a number of occasions and is well aware of our rich railway heritage, our efforts to drive home new investment opportunities and our great plans for the future of rail travel.

“This contract would be a massive coup for a firm that has constantly showed its commitment to the Tees Valley, through working side-by-side with our businesses and helping them grow. The benefits would be felt across our whole area and the wider North-East.”