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An exciting business-led initiative has been launched to build on the momentum of attracting jobs to County Durham. Peter Barron explains the inspiration and rationale behind Powered by People...

THERE is something unusual about the latest initiative to showcase Durham – something that speaks volumes about why the county is bucking the national trend on inward investment.

What makes it different is that it wasn’t politicians or public sector officials who came up with the idea of making people the focus of a new drive to attract more jobs. It was inspired by business leaders who have experienced ‘the Durham difference’ and seen their investments pay dividends.

When those entrepreneurs were asked why they had chosen to bring their businesses to the county, they came up a range of answers: the county’s excellent transport links; access to an internationally-renown university; rapidly-improving infrastructure; world-class heritage, and magnificent countryside.

But there was one answer that stood out from all the rest.

Time and time again investors cited people as the most important factor in their decision to choose Durham.

Hard work, flexibility, resilience, adaptability, loyalty, a sense of humour and the willingness to go the extra mile were all cited as local characteristics which make the county such an attractive place to do business.

Richard Bradley, Finance Director of Stanley-based Dyer Engineering, sums it up: “Durham people bring a sense of pride and a really good work ethic. Durham people bring an element of fun. We can have all the facilities and machinery in the world, but if we haven’t got people, they don’t do anything, and we don’t make anything. We are not a business. The only thing that really matters is people.”

A chorus of business voices echoed Mr Bradley’s sentiment and the repeated feedback – that people are Durham’s biggest asset – became the inspiration behind Powered by People.

The narrative for the campaign arose out of a series of workshops within the business community, resulting in an opportunity to unite behind the message that, more than anything else, people make Durham a special place to do business.

Hitachi Rail has recruited more than 700 permanent staff to build trains at Newton Aycliffe. Tim Rutter, the company’s Head of Manufacturing Systems and Process, underlines the importance of the workforce in making the landmark operation a success in the county: “Their skills, along with their attitude and behaviour, have been brilliant,” he says.

Tony Cleary, Managing Director of Lanchester Wines, is also quick to raise a glass to Durham folk. “It’s all about people. We can have as many good ideas as we like but we need the people to get those ideas across the line,” he says.

As the county council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Regeneration, Councillor Carl Marshall believes that one of Durham’s key selling points is its accessibility to a stable workforce.

“That’s something we have in abundance going back to the traditional industries of mining and steelmaking,” he says. “There is a history of pride and loyalty in the job that has been instilled in our culture for generations. It’s not something you can find everywhere, and employers love it because they don’t want to spend valuable time and resources dealing with a high turnover of staff.”

Car parts manufacturer Gestamp, based on the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, is a case in point when it comes to staff loyalty. The company's UK Group Managing Director, Peter Gallone, points out that ten per cent of the 150-strong workforce have more than 25 years’ service, with the longest-serving employee clocking up 44 years.

Durham County Council Leader, Councillor Simon Henig, has also been moved by the stream of comments from businesses about the value of having a loyal, skilled and adaptable workforce at their fingertips.

During a recent visit to the Hitachi factory at Aycliffe he met an employee who had previously been a childminder but is now making a living fitting out trains. “It really struck me as a fabulous example of the flexibility and resilience of our people,” says Councillor Henig. “Businesses know that’s what they will get when they come here and that’s how Powered by People came about – it resulted from businesses telling us that people should be at the forefront of the initiative to promote success and investment.

“The role of the council is to listen to and work with the business community; to be supportive, positive and encouraging and to help them access everything they need to flourish in the county.”

Durham County Council Chief Executive Terry Collins has no doubt that making people the priority is the right strategy.

“Durham is blessed with so many advantages with its excellent transport connections, wonderful heritage, university and beautiful countryside, and now we are steadily building the infrastructure needed for sustained growth. But, ultimately, it is the people that gives Durham a competitive advantage,” he says.

Mr Collins has worked for a number of local authorities in different parts of the country during his career, but he believes that what makes Durham different is the “passion, energy and positivity of people” across the public, private or voluntary sectors.

“No matter what sector it is, we have people with the right skills, who give 100 per cent and more, and do it with a smile on their faces. It is unique – something really special,” he adds.

As a representative of the voluntary sector, Michelle Cooper, Chief Executive of the County Durham Community Foundation, is a keen supporter of Powered by People but rightly stresses that the laudable principles behind the initiative have to translate into jobs and community engagement by private sector businesses.

“I completely buy into it because people are the key to everything we do, and we probably see that more than anywhere through the voluntary network,” she says. “But it’s all about the execution and results. I’d love to see this campaign help to encourage more businesses to engage with their communities.”

She nominates Darlington Building Society, which also has branches in Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle, as a brilliant example of a company that has made investing time, people and money back into the community an integral part of running a successful business.

“That’s what makes this real and it would be great to see the campaign inspiring more companies to do the same,” she says.

Indeed, the aim is to encourage as many companies in the county as possible to play their part! There will be a call to action when Powered by People is launched to the business community at the Regional Business Leaders’ Summit at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Durham on January 31.

Heidi Mottram CBE, Chief Executive of Northumbrian Water, will be among the keynote speakers at the summit highlighting the importance of the North-East to the UK economy.

There is no shortage of evidence that Durham is already punching above its weight economically:

• There is £3.4bn of planned investment in the county;

• 100,000 more jobs are forecast by 2024;

• Subject to planning approval, 2019 will see the £370m development of Aykley Heads in Durham City begin to take shape, with the potential creation of up to 6,000 private sector jobs and a £400m economic boost to the county;

• Other key business locations are being developed across the county, with 305 hectares of land being used for strategic and general employment;

• 25,992 new homes are planned by 2035;

• Gross value added (GVA) – a measure of the value of goods and services produced – has seen an improvement of £1,200, underlining the positive trend in the County Durham economy.

Allan Cook, Managing Director of Arlington Real Estate, which is developing Milburngate on the banks of the River Wear in Durham City Centre, is well placed to see the economic progress being made.

“Durham is now definitely on the map in terms of North-East occupiers. We didn’t used to see that five years ago, but we are definitely seeing it now,” he says. “We look at developments all around the country and Durham is now really coming into its own. The future’s really bright in Durham.”

In fact the future’s so bright that award-winning businesswoman Allison Raper, who runs Teesdale Cheesemakers with her husband Jonathan, is tempted to keep the attractions of Durham a secret. “There’s a little bit of us wanting to keep it quiet because we’re really enjoying ourselves,” she says.

The last word goes to James Ramsbotham, Chief Executive of the North-East Chamber of Commerce, who was awarded a CBE in the recent New Year Honours for services to businesses and the economy in the North-East.

“The county is so full of great people across all walks of life – people who are hard working, skilled, passionate, determined and fun,” he says.

“The opportunities for business investment abound in this 'can-do' county with plentiful resources and physical space. Come and see for yourself. Come and meet the real people who could be the power behind your future.”

It’s an invitation that’s increasingly hard to resist.