Columnists: Ben Houchen

Transporting the next generation to a thriving future

11:11am Friday 30th August 2019

AUGUST is a month of exam results: less than a fortnight ago, young people across the Tees Valley received their GCSE results, and the week before that, many more got news of how well they did in their A Levels.

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: why a freeport is our gateway to future prosperity

2:26pm Friday 2nd August 2019

YOU probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you there was a simple idea that could create thousands of jobs right here in the Tees Valley. You definitely wouldn’t believe me if I told you the idea was just for government to get out of the way.

• Comments (20)
• Have your say

Mayor pledges to keep it local

5:00am Monday 24th June 2019

ABOVE everything else, the job of the Tees Valley Mayor is to grow our economy and make people throughout the region better off. This is why I brought our airport back into public ownership, it is why I am working to help businesses grow and create jobs, and it is why I am investing in transport.

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Saving steel – a foundation of our region

10:26am Friday 24th May 2019

STEELMAKING, along with other giants like the railways and chemicals, is one of the foundations our region was built on. It is a part of our history, but not something we should give up on now.

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Voters bring positive changes

5:00am Monday 6th May 2019

ACROSS the Tees Valley, I’m delighted to say that the people have well and truly voted for real, positive change across the region.

• Comments (1)
• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Preparing our airport for take-off

4:34pm Sunday 31st March 2019

LAST year we reached a deal with Peel to take our local airport back into public ownership. Earlier this year we got the agreement of the five Labour leaders of our local authorities to do this. This month we officially got hold of the keys and appointed an experienced operator to run the airport on our behalf.

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: We are a small region that is thinking big

4:40pm Friday 1st February 2019

THE last few weeks have been pretty monumental for the Tees Valley. We saved our airport, but I wouldn’t want it to overshadow some other good news.

• Comments (5)
• Have your say

Ben Houchen: '2019 promises to be a make or break year for our area'

5:00am Sunday 30th December 2018

"2019 promises to be a make or break year for our area. As we look to a positive future outside the European Union, the Tees Valley won’t just be competing with Newcastle, Leeds or Birmingham. Our success depends on our ability to work, trade and collaborate with old friends and new allies around the world.

• Comments (27)
• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Building on the shoulders of giants

5:50am Monday 26th November 2018

WHEN our transport system works well you might barely notice it, but when it doesn’t meet the public’s expectations it can quickly become a make or break issue for politicians.

• Comments (2)
• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Take That shows region is on the rise

5:04pm Sunday 23rd September 2018

A FEW weeks ago, TransPennine Express (quietly) put forward a proposal that would've seen a swathe of train cancellations across the Tees Valley, just so it could ease congestion in Manchester and the North West!

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Ours is a region that is on the up

2:58pm Friday 31st August 2018

ACROSS the Tees Valley, our economy is on the up. Over the past year, almost 1,000 new companies have started up, exports are up six per cent, advertised salaries are up five per cent, our A-Level results are the best in the country, and unemployment has fallen to its lowest level in history.

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: New branch for railway revolution

5:51am Monday 30th July 2018

LET’S bring train-building back home.

• Comments (1)
• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Breaking free from EU bonds

2:41pm Friday 22nd June 2018

WHILE Westminster politicians were at each other’s throats over the EU Withdrawal Bill last week, I was also in London making sure our voice was heard in the Brexit negotiations.

• Comments (1)
• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Green shoots are sprouting from devolution

5:02am Monday 28th May 2018

ONE year ago this month, I had the honour of being elected Tees Valley Mayor, representing the area I have always been proud to call home.

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Trying to bring rugby home to the region

3:16am Sunday 29th April 2018

IN the past few months, I have been working hard to get all eyes on the Tees Valley, shouting about the brilliant things our region has to offer.

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Lights, camera and lots of action in the Tees Valley

7:49pm Saturday 24th February 2018

ONE of the best parts of being mayor is that you’re the area’s number one ambassador on the national stage. This month the Tees Valley has been thrust into the national spotlight, with barely a day going by where I haven’t been contacted for radio, television or press interviews.

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Embracing the free port opportunity

5:54pm Sunday 28th January 2018

WHEN we leave the EU, Britain will find itself with more freedoms than at any time in almost half a century. Whether you voted Leave or Remain, we need to look to the future and at the opportunities that are ahead.

• Comments (4)
• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Now I must deliver for the people

10:53am Monday 27th November 2017

IN September, I chaired a board meeting of the South Tees Development Corporation in Redcar.

• Have your say

Ben Houchen: Putting a spring in the Tees Valley's step

4:54pm Friday 27th October 2017

THE launch of the new South Tees Development Corporation re-enforced to me the serious attention our local economy is being given by the Government, and by international investors and big business. The fact that the Prime Minister put the weight of her office behind the only Mayoral Development Corporation outside London has caused those in leadership positions to pause and give our area a second look.

• Have your say