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?Disappointment' for Tees Valley hopes

A North East sub-region has expressed its dissatisfaction with the government’s selection of the two initial areas for the ‘City Region Forerunner’ initiative.

Tees Valley was passed over in favour Manchester and Leeds as the trial areas for the project. The Tees Valley Unlimited partnership, which works with companies and organisations in the public and private sectors to raise the profile and profitability of the Tees Valley area, were not entirely happy with the decision.

Hugh Lang, Chair of Tees Valley Unlimited, said: “Naturally we are disappointed that, having put forward what we felt was widely recognised as a very strong bid, we have not been named in the initial areas chosen for the ‘City Region Forerunner’ initiative.

“However, the Tees Valley remains at the forefront of taking forward partnership working to tackle economic, social and environmental challenges. Only a few weeks ago, at the TVU’s inaugural annual conference, the Local Government Minister John Healey praised the Tees Valley as an example for other areas.

“We were one of the first parts of the country to be given the opportunity to sign a ‘Multi Area Agreement’ with the Government which enables the Tees Valley local authorities, working with partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors, to speed up progress on key issues affecting the whole of the sub-region.

“TVU will be continuing its dialogue with Government on ways to improve the delivery of economic outcomes for Tees Valley.”

Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said: “Although Tees Valley has not been announced today as a City Region Forerunner, we very much value the work that Tees Valley has been pioneering. We are committed to continuing our discussions with the authorities on delivering the Multi Area Agreement commitments and the potential to build on the MAA in other areas such as skills, employability and enterprise.”

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