Member Article

NECC calls for North East unity

The North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) is calling for unity in the region in a bid to drive forward the economy and end traditional over-reliance on the public sector.

Speaking at the NECC’s AMG, president John Mowbray highlighted links developing between different sectoral groups, stressing that by working together the region will thrive after the recession.

He commented: “On one hand we boast all the best bits of the economy - we thrive in manufacturing and engineering, particularly in automotive and the oil and gas sectors, and remain the only region with a positive balance of trade in exports.

“However, we also have a disproportionate over-reliance on the public sector and have been hit incredibly hard by the Government’s austerity purge.”

He went on to recognise the successes achieved by the private sector over the past year, but also recognised that it is almost impossible to keep pace with the cuts occuring across the public sector.

The region has seen a host of large-scale positive business announcements from the likes of Nissan, SSI, Offshore group Newcastle and Calsonic Kansei this year, which is in stark contrast to the economy’s recent double-dip into recession.

NECC Chief Executive, James Ramsbotham, said: “A great deal of progress has been made over the past 12 months establishing partnerships between the region’s public and private sector, highlighted by the rising optimism for the future among the NECC members.

“By working together we can demonstrate that the North East is not a problem for the rest of the UK to solve, rather an unrealised asset that has yet to reach its full potential.”

The NECC is committed to working closely with Local Enterprise Partnerships, councils, schools universities and colleges as well as businesses in our own membership to help ensure the region’s approach to economic health is as joined up as it can be.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .