Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce

Top table guests including President Tim Durkin and Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls at the Chamber's Annual Dinner.

CHAMBER President Tim Durkin and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Ed Balls issued a rallying call to the region at the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Dinner.

In his speech, Mr Durkin called on the four local authorities in the Humber to put aside their differences and work together for the good of the region, while Ed Balls confirmed his backing for HS3 and the “Hullapool” line, cautioned against turning our backs on Europe, and urged businesses to help raise the skills and aspirations of our young people in the Humber.

Mr Durkin told the audience of business leaders at the Mercure Hull Grange Park Hotel that he recognised the potential of the area when he first came to Hull nearly 50 years ago, but it is only now starting to fully awaken from its long economic slumber and fulfil that early promise.

He reminded guests how the region’s infrastructure has developed in ways we now take for granted, with the building of the Humber Bridge, the M62, the M180 and A63, and how 50 years ago the A1 was a single carriageway road and the M1 hadn’t even reached Leicester.

Following the decline of the fishing industry in Hull and Grimsby and the challenges faced by other industries, Mr Durkin drew comparisons between the political challenges of 50 years ago and today, drawing direct comparisons between unemployment, skills shortages and the aspirations of young people locally.

Mr Durkin said that in his view, by the time the county of Humberside was abolished it was really working, developing an economic strategy for both banks of the Humber, and held the power to implement those strategies. Comparing that with today’s situation, he called on the councils in the region to work more closely for the benefit of the area’s economy, and praised the work of the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce which both work hard at the pan-Humber level.

Looking forward to the new industries which are taking shape in the Humber in the form of renewables and the thousands of jobs the developments at Siemens and the Able Marine Energy Park should bring, he also praised the work Chamber Training and other local skills providers in helping to close the widely recognised skills gaps, but raised concerns about the number of young people who are leaving school without meaningful qualifications, aspirations or relevant skills.

In his response, the Shadow Chancellor said Mr Durkin’s passion and commitment for the area shone through and declared it’s an important and challenging time for this region.

The MP for Morley and Outwood also said that the forthcoming Election could have important implications for the future of the country and few elections have been closer and harder to predict than this one. He went on to highlight some of the positive news coming from the Humber and paid tribute to the area’s MPs who he said are working well together for the good of the Humber.

Taking a sideswipe at Ukip’s ambitions to bring us out of Europe, Mr Balls said our economy had its future as an outward looking economy and said that while Europe has got to be reformed, to walk away would be a disaster and he was very worried about playing “fast and loose” with our membership of Europe.

Turning to infrastructure, he said that while he backed HS2, HS3 is also very important for East-West transport links and reinforced the Chamber’s view that we need a long-term strategic approach for the “Hullapool” line. He also reinforced the importance of electrification of the Leeds to Hull line for the future of the region.

On skills and infrastructure, Mr Balls said a more strategic view was needed as the number of apprenticeships had fallen by 21% and he had yet to find a way of getting more young people going to university, but also getting more firms to take on apprenticeships, and said he believed young people should be getting more of the support they need.

Urging local businesses to get their people to go into schools and tell pupils what they do as businesses, Mr Balls told the audience of business leaders that they all have a vital role to play in helping to raise the skills and aspirations of our young people.