Issues

Issues:  Infrastructure and Regeneration

Like all areas the global recession has impacted upon the constituency of Easington which was formerly a powerhouse built on coal mining and associated heavy industries.

In response to the current downturn efforts are being made at national level to focus on new low carbon industries and identify emerging sectors such as carbon reduction industries to stimulate economic growth and employment. If Nissan’s Sunderland plant is able to secure the rights to mass produce the new all electric “Leaf “ car it will be a major boost to the automotive component supply companies located in East Durham.  At a local level too the East Durham Area Action Partnership has identified infrastructure and regeneration as one of the five key priority themes to focus on over the next year.

Labour in government will provide support to the vulnerable and those suffering as a result of the recession in the most appropriate way while we work our way through the recession and work in the medium and long term on delivering a balanced budget.

Under Job Creation I gave some of the background and reasons for the high dependence on incapacity in the Easington constituency. It is worth remembering the potential problems of relying upon a single industrial sector for employment in the 1980s, when over fifty percent of the male population was employed directly in mining. The loss of the coal industry and premature closure of the pits during the 1980s and 1990s under successive Tory governments still understandably rankles with the mining communities of East Durham.

In recent years multi-million pound public and private sector infrastructure investments driven mainly by Labour in local and central government have changed the face of Easington and helped to diversify our industrial base. Many thousands more people are in work as a result of this investment and diversification. We are now addressing the additional challenges of a global economic downturn which has impacted on the vehicle and automotive sector in Peterlee where in the last year in particular there have been job losses from Caterpillar NSK and NSK-AKS Steering Columns.

Nevertheless multi- million pound investments are changing the face of Easington and Labour in government is working in concert with Durham County Council and private sector partners that have already seen the realization of a number of successful developments. Many others are ongoing.

These include Byron Place in Seaham. An £18 million shopping mall with an array of high street names including ASDA Wilkinson’s and Argos. Work was completed on the 300,00 square feet development by Modus properties in October 2007. The new shopping development was commissioned to bring new life into the heart of Seaham and it has already created 200 new jobs.

On the back of the Seaham Town Centre Redevelopment is the £19 million St John’s Square development which will see new commercial and community buildings and health facilities and see the demolition of the old bus station and derelict and unsightly buildings in the heart of Seaham.

The Dock Company relocation is a £10 million project started in 1999 to relocate the commercial port related activity of the Seaham Harbour Dock Company to the outskirts of the town. It involved the construction of a new freight rail terminal and new transport hub for distribution networks. It has paved the way for the recent town centre redevelopment and the marina development.

Following the approval of £2 million of funding from the Regional Development Agency ONE North East, the Seaham North Dock is witnessing a series of works to revitalize the economic prosperity of the Seaham dock area. Works currently underway include the installation of new dock gates, creation of a 77 berth marina and provision of workspace accommodation for 12 marina related businesses creating up to 50 jobs and hopefully a permanent home to display the seafaring heritage of Seaham Harbour and the former Seaham Lifeboat the George Emly currently undergoing restoration works with the support of the local public.

The construction of the first phase of the £16 million East Durham direct Link Road to Seaham from the A1 M was completed in September 2008. The second phase a £1.7 million single carriageway connects Cold Hesledon junction to the new Hawthorn Prestige Business Park that we hope will be home to the GREAT Institute and to green businesses that are involved in climate change and CO2 reduction and which provide the opportunity to create many thousands of jobs in a global growth industry.

We should not forget the contribution of the private sector as engines of economic recovery and the GT Group in Peterlee is a prime example. Originally on the North East industrial estate, but now on a brand new state of the art factory unit at the Whitehouse Business Park in Peterlee, in the heart of the Easington constituency, it has shown the way forward in terms of innovation in technologies to lower carbon emissions. GT Group has secured a considerable order book that will help to safeguard existing engineering jobs and potentially create hundreds of new ones.

Continued development of the industrial estates to the west of the A19 and recent investment by Caterpillar in a state of the art training centre suggests there is some positive news for the future of manufacturing in this constituency. The Peterlee Growth Point alongside the A19 provides an opportunity to improve access to and from the A19. The planned redevelopment of the Peterlee North East Industrial Estate with the incorporation of a mixed housing and commercial development on the edge of Peterlee should assist in kick starting the housing market and will provide expansion room for the new town of Peterlee.

There is still more work in progress with projects like the £300 million world-class Centre for Creative Excellence earmarked for a 200 acre site south of Seaham to include educational facilities a film studio, parklands, leisure facilities, a hotel, and the potential of 2,400 jobs as well as a magnificent visa of training opportunities for our young people in new media and creative arts. 

Labour in government has continued to address the structural problems of areas like Easington and is constantly working to raise the aspirations of the people of Easington. We must continue to encourage investment in new physical infrastructure like the Hawthorn Industrial Park and Dalton Park Phase 2 Spectrum Business Park and town centre developments in Peterlee and Seaham.

It is essential that we continue to diversify our employment base and provide new opportunities in employment and training, especially for our young people, in a way that many would not have thought possible only a decade ago. Labour in Government has shown the way forward. There are very real and tangible signs of the progress that Labour’s policies have brought in the Easington constituency that have placed us in a position to make a substantial contribution to the local and regional economy.

Issues: Transport and Access

This section sets out an overview with some relevant statistics and forms a basis for discussion of transport and access issues in the Easington constituency.

It is worth noting that there are a number of transport initiatives that have been established to address transport issues within County Durham and the Easington constituency.  These include the Local Transport Project (LTP). Durham County Council has set out a structured approach to improve access to jobs and services in ways which are sustainable, improve public transport, reduce problems of congestion, pollution and road safety, and which reflect local priorities in Easington.  The strategy sets out a strategic direction that needs to be followed to achieve better-integrated and more sustainable transport provision (Source : County Durham Local Transport Plan 2: Final Progress Report for 2006-2008).

The Transit 15 Programme has been developed to enhance the frequency and affordability of public transport as well as the quality of bus services linking the principal settlements and communities in East Durham with other towns within County Durham.  This in turn is designed to improve access to employment, learning and health care across the constituency as set out in the County Durham Economic Strategy.

A Transport and Planning Forum that was established by Durham County Councils allows the private, public and statutory sectors to discuss transport issues and identify potential schemes and opportunities within our area in relation to planning and transport.

The East Durham Development Trust in partnership with Durham County Council and Transport providers also hold regular transport meetings with the community.  These meetings address specific local issues and services provided within each of the villages. The idea being to engage directly with those agencies that can implement the necessary changes sought by local people.

Accessibility and lack of affordable transport is by far the biggest problem identified by local people. In consultation exercises lack of transport is constantly raised as a barrier to employment, as a problem in accessing services (particularly health services, leisure opportunities and retail facilities). It affects a large proportion of the population of the Easington Constituency particularly those living in smaller and more isolated communities like Haswell, Haswell Plough, Hesleden, High Hesleden, Hutton Henry and Horden.

The need to improve the attractiveness of public transport so that it becomes a genuine alternative to the car is an ongoing priority for LTP (County Durham Local Transport Plan 2: Final Progress Report for 2006-2008).

Key Facts

• The Easington Constituency has the 2^nd lowest rate of vehicle ownership in  County Durham.
• Easington has the 6^th lowest rate for using a car/van as the most favoured method  to travel to work at 71.1%.
• The low levels of car ownership that exist in the Easington constituency impact upon people’s freedom of movement.
• Traffic growth in County Durham has grown consistently over the past decade, between 1999 and 2007 there was a growth of 13.5%.
• Journeys to work by car are 70% compared to the national average of 62%.
• There are currently two community transport operators in Easington these are Communicare and East Durham Community Transport.
• Communicare and East Durham Community Transport in 2008 collectively made 60,904 passenger journeys.
• The rate of road injuries and deaths in Easington compares favourably with the average for England.
• Priorities for future development through LTP include accelerating implementation of the East Durham Link Road to improve links between the A19 and A1, working with Network Rail, Northern Rail and the Tees Valley Partnership and other partners to develop proposals for improved services on the Durham Coast Line and identifying options for the location of a new rail halt in Easington Colliery or Horden.

In summary there are a number of transport schemes currently taking place to address transport and transport related issues within Easington and County Durham as a whole.  Each of these schemes allows the general public and community representatives to feed information into the process.

Car ownership reduced congestion and better integrated transport links are needed especially in East Durham if opportunities are to be made accessible to all members of the community.  Better integrated transport links will allow access to new opportunities, leisure, tourism, health care and employment.

Issues: Job Creation

The East Durham Area Action Partnership of which I am a Vice Chair has recently identified Job Creation as one of the five key priority themes to focus on over the next year. There were a number of reasons why job creation was selected at the initial consultation events held in May this year which was attended by over 200 people. The reasons given by participants were, for example, that more employment would reduce the incidence of anti-social behaviour. It would also introduce people who are currently disengaged from the active labour market to the work ethic and job satisfaction within their communities. In a recent Job Creation working party meeting it was recognised that investing in new infrastructure would aid job creation. Apprenticeships, training, work experience and work placements were all considered as helpful in encouraging job creation particularly for younger people in the 18 – 24 age group who now make up about one third of the 3081 people in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance in the Easington District. (Source: NOMIS Labour Market Statistics/ July 2009/Easington Local Authority Profile)

The latest available figures for February 2009 for incapacity benefit in the Easington District show 9,430 Employment Support Allowance and incapacity benefit claimants or 16.5 % of the population, compared to 9.6% regionally and 7.0% nationally. The support that the government gives to the members of our community who are not economically active, totalling 16,410 individuals below pensionable age in this constituency, is expected to remain under scrutiny. During the current economic downturn the government will continue to consider the most appropriate way in which to deliver a balanced budget.

It is essential however to understand the background and reasons for the high dependence on incapacity in our area if we are to have any meaningful debate about how to address joblessness. The problems of  relying on a single industry was demonstrated in the 1980s, when over half the male population was employed directly in the coal mines. The subsequent dismantling of the coal industry and premature closure of the pits during the 1980s and 1990s under successive Tory governments understandably rankles with the mining communities of East Durham. This is a significant factor when it comes to understanding our labour market figures. In particular, the hard physical nature of this work over many years has taken its toll on the health of the male population and this has manifested itself in ill-health and incapacity in later life.

Nevertheless there has been a steady reduction in the incapacity or long term sickness benefit claimant figures since 2001 and there has been a 20% reduction in claimants in Easington with the numbers reducing every quarter since May 2003. More recently, multi-million pound public and private sector investments driven mainly by Labour in local and central government have changed the face of Easington and helped to diversify our industrial base. Much of this work to secure investment in the area has borne fruit in the last three years. Over 8,200 more people were in employment in the Easington Constituency in September 2007 compared with February 2004, although we are now facing the additional challenge of a global economic downturn. This has also impacted on the automotive sector in Peterlee where in the last year we have seen considerable lay offs in the manufacturing and car component supply companies such as Caterpillar and NSK-AKS Steering Columns. There is still more work in progress with projects like the £300 million world-class Centre for Creative Excellence earmarked for a 200 acre site south of Seaham.

I believe Labour in government has continued to address the structural problems of areas like Easington and is constantly working to raise the aspirations of the people of Easington. We must continue to encourage investment in new physical infrastructure like the Hawthorn Industrial Park and Dalton Park Phase 2 Spectrum Business Park and town centre developments in Peterlee and Seaham. It is essential that we continue to diversify our employment base and provide new opportunities in employment and training, especially for our young people, in a way that many would not have thought possible only a decade ago.

I would like to use this area of my website to discuss how best to ensure progress continues and job creation and employment flourishes in areas like Easington. You can email me at grahamemorris.easington@gmail.com and I will publish your responses here.