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DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL
THERE has never been a more exciting time for jobs and growth across County Durham, and the county council is building on the momentum. PETER BARRON reports
When Durham County Council became a unitary authority in 2009, it set out on a road with a clear direction – the signpost pointed to growth and more jobs.
The authority’s strategic priority was to create opportunities to bring as many high-quality jobs as possible to all corners of the county – knowing that every new job would have a knock-on effect in terms of wider social benefits.
“We agreed right from the start of the new County Durham Partnership that good jobs are at the heart of everything: better public health and well-being; higher educational attainment and skills; reduced crime and anti-social behaviour; cultural enrichment, and raised aspirations,” says Durham County Council leader, Councillor Simon Henig.
“We knew that if we could attract more jobs, that would be the foundation for so much more to fall into place.”
A decade down the road, the authority is heading in the right direction.
Its vision is turning into a reality, with millions of pounds being invested in world-class employment sites across the county and thousands of jobs being created.
What particularly pleases Cllr Henig is the mix of large and small companies which are flourishing as a result of the investment in infrastructure and business development support schemes across the county.
“Every successful economy needs a combination of big and small firms and that’s what we are seeing coming through in the county,” he says. “Our aim is to do everything possible to attract companies and to help people set up their own businesses.”
For example, the county council worked hard to bring Hitachi Rail Europe’s train building plant to Aycliffe in 2015, and that has been the catalyst for further investment. Aycliffe Business Park is now home to more than 500 progressive companies – including Gestamp, Tallent, 3M, Inovyn, Husqvarna and PWS.
More than 10,000 people are employed on the park, a number set to rise significantly as a result of the £170m Forrest Park expansion which will make Aycliffe the region’s biggest business park.
Other key developments are shown on the county investment map below. It all adds up to ample evidence that Durham County Council is fulfilling the economic strategy it unveiled in 2009, but Cllr Henig insists it remains a work in progress.
“What we can’t do is rest on our laurels – we have to keep creating the infrastructure and sending out the message that County Durham has everything you need to do business.”
One Durham business that’s clearly thriving is training provider Learning Curve, which is recruiting 100 additional staff after being confirmed as a Sunday Times Top 100 employer for the second consecutive year.
The company, based at Durham Gate, provides training to around 100,000 learners annually, and is expanding its workforce after a sustained period of growth.
It is also working closely with Business Durham – Durham County Council’s economic development arm – to help other companies to develop.
CEO Brenda McLeish said: “We’re delighted to be expanding our workforce once again with a big recruitment drive at Learning Curve Group.
“We’re keen to increase opportunities within the local area. Our business has grown significantly since we moved from Bishop Auckland’s South Church into our HQ at Durham Gate in early 2019.
“This was imperative to our plans and our aim to unite our growing workforce, helping us to achieve a place on The Sunday Times’ Top 100 Best Companies to work for list two years running.
“We strive to give back to the business community of Durham at any opportunity. With the support of Business Durham we’ve held Lunch and Learn sessions to inform their advisors of the available funding for training and education so they can go out and help organisations build their training strategies.
“There are some brilliant organisations across the county, and I hope we are working towards building a solid workforce of the future.”
Waste management company Biffa also recently announced it’s creating 100 additional jobs by opening a new £27.5m plant at Seaham which is designed to recycle more than a billion single-use plastic bottles a year.
Biffa already employs around 1,600 people in the North-East and its new facility is expected to generate revenues of £40m a year.
Formerly Greenstar, the company had been established at the Wilton International site on Teesside since 2000. It looked at several locations when it needed to expand but Durham stood out.
Owen Franklin, Biffa’s business director for polymers, says Durham County Council and Business Durham proved to be “unbelievably supportive” in enabling the move to Seaham.
“Right from the start they understood what we needed and couldn’t do enough, not just in identifying the location, but in pointing us in the right direction for our recruitment needs and training,” he says.
“Our key aim is to keep plastics recycling in this country, rather than exporting it abroad, and we see our partnership with Durham County Council growing – this is just the start.”
The Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN) has also made the move to Durham, relocating its headquarters from London to Bede House, at Belmont Business Park, and creating 20 jobs in the process.
NFRN national president Stuart Reddish said: “The location at Belmont Business Park, with direct access to the A1 and the main line train station, combined with the high-quality office space at Bede House, made a compelling case for us to relocate to Durham.”
For Business Durham’s interim managing director, Sarah Slaven, the message is loud and clear – it’s about ensuring that the growth Durham has seen in recent years is sustained.
“Our role is to build long-term relationships so we can support companies – big and small – throughout their business journey. Whether that’s finding the right accommodation, helping with recruitment or connecting them to funding and the right advice, we are here for the long haul,” she says.
Despite the significant progress that’s been made over the past 10 years, the county council is determined to keep driving forward – knowing the people of County Durham will reap the rewards from that clear sense of direction.
FACTS:
Key statistics underline the county’s progress:
• County Durham now has 10,000 more jobs than in 2010;
• Employment is at its highest rate since 2004;
• The average employment rate for the county in 2019 was 74 per cent – just one per cent below the national average and three per cent higher than the regional average;
• An estimated 30,000 more jobs will be created in the next 15 years thanks to investment of £3.4bn which is in the pipeline.
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