A leading Grimsby business figure has backed the Power Up The North campaign , claiming some legislation and policy driving economic development in the south can be detrimental on the ground here.
Chartered surveyor Lawrence Brown runs Scotts, a pan-Humber property firm. He has also embraced community roles, leading the visitor and economy group and acting as a partner with North East Lincolnshire Council when it comes to economic development.
He said: “So many solutions are brought forward from the South of England, and many are detrimental to the north.
“There needs to be a re-education of policy makers to realise that the laws they make that quite rightly impact upon and improve what goes on in London as our largest city and other areas in the south of England, are actually counter productive to the economy here.
“Empty property rates is one example – all it is doing is penalising landlords, who have no desire to have empty property. The policy makers think a landlord offering cheaper rates will bring an occupier in, but if the rent doesn’t put them off, the rates will, so still you have empty properties in a town centre. The landlord isn’t able to do anything about it, and it is not in the interest of the local authority to so something to mitigate that as their income is determined by business rate take. It is a flawed system.”
Explaining how what was happening in Grimsby town centre was no different to anywhere else - with the latest figures actually suggesting Grimsby is holding fast as others wilt – he pointed to opportunities here for grasping when conditions are right.
Enterprise zone sites, the Grimsby Town Deal and South Humber Industrial Investment Project all carry significant weight when it comes to making an investment case, so too a favourable labour market and emerging renewables industry backed by the Offshore Wind Setor Deal.
And he has urged stakeholders to ensure any new promises are indeed that - new, and not re-badged to suit future administrations.
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“We have got to be really careful, as you tend to see existing projects, things already happening, re-launched,” Mr Brown said. “There are things happening, under older titles.
“I am all for promoting the area, growing the area, bringing business into the area, creating jobs and wealth, but lets not do it by rebranding something and spending money on logos and literature, it is not going to cut it.
“We know what needs to happen. We need to introduce people back in to the town centre to really use it. That takes time, but the consumer at large wants everything instantly. Unfortunately, the high street’s biggest competitor, the internet, provides that.”
The proposed university campus in the town centre could help, with Mr Brown pointing to Hull’s loss there with it to the west, and Lincoln’s gain from the Brayford.
“We have the Grimsby Town Deal, the South Humber Industrial Investment Programme, Cleethorpes regeneration , and all of that is great but it takes five to 10 years. Problems we have had here is that there is always jam tomorrow, lots of promises of jam tomorrow.”
When it comes, often the toast has been stolen, with the current play out of Orsted creating 400 jobs while in a board meeting in Switzerland, a decision was made to close Novartis. The result, net zero.
“There’s also the geography,” Mr Brown added. “We have Hull City Centre that Hull City Council is regenerating, a clear brand. Here North East Lincolnshire has Grimsby, Cleethorpes , Freeman Street and Immingham. Where does it concentrate effort and resource? Four areas rather than just one. The real problem is where is the centre of commercial operations? We don’t have one.”