Grahame Morris Speech: Seaham Leisure Centre, Friday 23rd April 2010.

Blog / April 26, 2010 / 12341 Commenthttp://grahamemorris.com/2010/04/grahame-morris-speech-mayor-of-seahams-civic-ball-seaham-leisure-centre-friday-23rd-april-2010/Grahame+Morris+Speech%3A+Seaham+Leisure+Centre%2C+Friday+23rd+April+2010.2010-04-26+07%3A16%3A06grahame

Here in Seaham, the achievements of the last decade can be clearly seen. From the huge investment in our coastline, designated a heritage coast in 2001, to the new restaurants and cafes, Surestart centres and the new Trinity Primary School, Seaham shows how with significant investment and the hard work of local agencies, councillors and residents we can regenerate our communities and build a vibrant local economy to create new jobs and improve our people’s quality of life. Anyone with eyes to see can appreciate what we – with Labour in government – have been able to achieve in Seaham.

Through the significant public investment of the last decade we have seen Seaham beach entirely restored with the Turning the Tide project winning the Outstanding Achievement in Regeneration award in 2002 at the annual Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Seaham Hall is now a five-star luxury hotel and spa and we have a new shopping centre in Byron Place.  We also have a growing artists’ community based on the Seafront – a great organisation called the East Durham Artists Network.

It has even been written by one journalist – in last weekend’s Independent on Sunday – after visiting Seaham and having a smoothie in Lickety Splits that “There’s nowt grim about taking a break up north”. Londoners flocking to Seaham may be an unexpected outcome of our regeneration, but a growing tourism market is something we should embrace as a driver for employment and new business. Through our regeneration projects the charms of our surroundings are being rediscovered and we’re not going to be able to keep them secret for very long. We can be proud of Seaham’s history and the natural beauty which enticed Lord Byron and Lewis Carroll here two centuries ago.

The regeneration of Seaham has allowed us to meet the challenges of the global economic recession and as we move forward we are well placed – with new housing developments, a strong infrastructure for business and new jobs and public services in the community to provide for our residents. During my lifetime I’ve seen our coastline change dramatically and when I drive along the seafront it’s impossible not be impressed by the natural beauty and the new cafes and restaurants. I think we could give any seaside town on the south coast a run for its money and I expect to reading about Seaham in many more travel brochures in the years to come – something that would have been unimaginable only a decade ago.

Across Easington we can also take pride in work that is already underway in our health services and educational institutions. Because providing a better standard of living for our residents must remain a key priority here. The new state of the art acute hospital at Wynyard will provide single room accommodation giving people access to the highest possible standards of health care, previously only available to a privileged few. Construction work is well advanced on the new Shotton Hall Community School – a prestigious new twenty million pound development – which is the first of six secondary schools in Easington being rebuilt through the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative.

Those of you who know me will know that I am fiercely proud of the communities where I’ve lived all of my life. I could not be prouder than having the opportunity to fight this General Election in Easington and – with the support of local people – to fight for the needs of ordinary people in Parliament. Therefore, I hope you will forgive me if – just for a moment – I am mildly political.

As we move out of recession we require policies that are ambitious but affordable. I am fighting this election on Labour’s manifesto that will secure the economic recovery, renew our society through improved public services and restore trust in politics through greater transparency and accountability.

What this means is important:

• New industries and good jobs in the North East supported by government in the low carbon and renewable technology sectors
• Further improving hospitals and schools as like those in Easington I mentioned a minute ago
• And elected representatives that work transparently and that can be held to account by the public

On the economy – Labour’s £1 billion Future Jobs Fund is providing funding and practical support to encourage business, the public sector and charities to create new and meaningful job opportunities. Durham County Council has recently announced 50 new job opportunities through this scheme – improving their services to the community and giving paid work to young people. Labour has guaranteed young people between 18 and 25 a job, training or work experience after 6 months unemployed.

On public Services – Labour has invested significantly over the past 13 years. Our NHS budget has tripled and people working in the public sector have seen wage rises above anything that could be imagined under the Tories. Of course, the media and Labour’s political opponents will try to tell people that nothing has improved in the last decade.

And on reforming politics – it is Labour that has been the most constitutionally radical government in our history and I personally would ensure that my costs are transparent and that I am accountable to local people.

I want to see Seaham continue to thrive. The return of the Seaham lifeboat George Elmy has restored a part of history to this town. The links between our history and our future must always be appreciated. Just last night lifeboats were sent out after a man was missing following kayaking in Seaham harbor. Unfortunately there has been no good news as of yet. But we all feel something when events like this happen and hope for the best. We also remember and reflect on absent friends who have joined us in past years. 

The work that the East Durham Heritage Group has done in bringing the George Elmy home must be congratulated. Projects like this remind us of our history, a proud history, but also how dramatically things have changed. The camaraderie and closeness of our communities is one thing I remember growing up in Easington, and we must draw on these strengths in order to build a better future for us all. Seaham really is a great example of how working together with the support of government we change things for the better.