Siemens investment: Now it's the real deal for Hull

It was right at the beginning of the year that German giant Siemens announced it hoped to develop an offshore wind turbine manufacturing facility in Hull. That was a landmark announcement.

Now, as 2011 draws to an close, Siemens and port operator ABP have announced that a series of planning applications are being submitted for the project. In January it was a hugely exciting possibility. Today it became the real deal.

After months of “will they, won’t they”, today Siemens effectively said a huge yes to Hull, by announcing that it was submitting, jointly with ABP, applications for the development at Hull’s Alexandra Dock. Siemens has effectively nailed its colours to the mast. It had selected Hull as its preferred site. Now, after months of behind-the-scenes negotiations and manoeuvring, Siemens has made the strongest possible commitment to the city.

Nobody dare say it, but the Siemens top brass have made up their minds. Hull is where they want to be.

Why so confident? Because it is inconceivable that Siemens would submit planning applications for a manufacturing facility if it was not committed to building it.

The very clear inference is that Siemens has ruled out suggestions that it might ditch Hull in favour of locations in Germany, Denmark or elsewhere. If Siemens has yet to finally say “I do” in its marriage with Hull, it is certainly walking up the aisle.

There appears to be just one further hurdle to overcome - the planning process. But, surely, that will be a formality. The city and wider region are desperate to embrace Siemens. Local residents have welcomed the investment, recognising the resulting employment and benefit to the local economy vastly outweighs any impact on people living nearby.

And, surely, there isn’t a single member of Hull City Council’s planning committee who will challenge a development that will bring hundreds of desperately-needed jobs and pave the way to thousands more. It should sail through.

It’s not yet time for the popping of champagne corks, but it has been a most brilliant combined effort.  And it has been, largely, a local achievement. Huge credit is due to all of the following:

·        ABP port director Matt Jukes and his team who have developed the “Green Port Hull” proposition which has proven so attractive to Siemens.

·        Hull City Council, under the leadership both of Councillor Carl Minns and his successor Cllr Steve Brady. Notably, Cllr Brady and the current Labour leadership made an important signal of local support for the Siemens plans by pledging £5m of under-pressure funds for infrastructure related to the development.

·        Hull’s MPs, who have played a vital role in lobbying for Government support to gain commitment from Siemens. Hull West and Hessle MP Alan Johnson has, as ever, been prominent, using the high-level contacts and trust he has across the political spectrum to persuade ministers that they had to do more to win Siemens for Hull, the Humber and UK Plc.

·        The Humber Local Enterprise Partnership, which has focused strongly on renewable energy as the economic opportunity for the region. The LEP has been instrumental in the rapid assembly of sites on both sides of the Humber which will enjoy enterprise zone status. Those sites will be attractive to other turbine manufacturers and the supply chain supporting this industry.

Of course, the Government has played its part, but it’s fair to say that ministers didn’t do enough initially to woo Siemens. More recent statements from Prime Minister David Cameron and others indicated they had woken up to the appalling possibility of Siemens going elsewhere.

The recent announcement of enterprise zone status for sites including the threatened BAE Systems plant at Brough and Grimsby docks, in addition to the Alexandra Dock site and the Able UK development on the south bank, was a very clear indication that ministers supported the creation of a renewable energy cluster in the Humber estuary.

Furthermore, the Government decision to halve tolls to cross the Humber Bridge will have been noted positively by Siemens and other potential investors. That decision will make the Humber a true economic entity, for the first time.

So Siemens has been convinced to invest in Hull and want to be making turbines for the huge Round Three wind farms in the North Sea by 2014. Hull and the Humber’s renewable energy renaissance has lift-off.

Now everyone involved must ensure there is no slip between cup and lip. If so, expect Siemens to be the catalyst for a series of investments in related activities on the north and south banks of the Humber. Those investments will bring much-needed jobs and prosperity that are sustainable in more ways than one.

At last the Humber becomes a real region, with Hull at its heart

It’s a pleasant change - the Government makes significant announcements about the economy and investment and this part of the world is a major beneficiary.
Chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement contained confirmation that the cost of crossing the Humber Bridge by car will be halved to £1.50 next April. After years of calls for the bridge burden to be lifted, the Government has finally listened, wiping out £150m of the structure’s crippling historical debt.

The news is a huge shot in the arm for the Humber region and promises to finally unite both banks of the Humber in an economic region that is greater, and more powerful, than the sum of the parts.
The details are still surprisingly scant - I suspect ministers want to drip out the good news, bit by bit - so some caution is advisable. In particular, the business community will be anxious to hear what the new toll levels will be for freight journeys. The Government must be as fair to business users as to private drivers and also halve the tolls for vans and lorries.
However, the positive implications are huge. Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for Economic Regeneration & Employment, Councillor Steve Bayes, is correct in noting in the Hull Daily Mail, that slashing the tolls can make Hull truly a regional capital for the first time. The city will have an economic and social hinterland stretching south to North and North East Lincolnshire, as well as north towards Scarborough and west in the direction of Leeds and York.
The bridge was built to unite the north and south banks of the Humber, but that never happened. Instead the crippling cost of journeys became a barrier to the movement of people, products and trade.
Once the tolls become affordable, people will no longer avoid journeys back and forth. Certainly Hull should benefit from trips to the city for shopping and leisure. In truth, it’s worth paying £1.50 to cross the bridge for the sensational views alone! The £1.50 every driver saves from every crossing will be available as disposable income. Most of that will be spent within the region, benefiting shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues.
Many more businesses will also look to invest and trade either side of the bridge. One business with operations on either side of the Humber, specialist engineering business Spencer, will save around £40,000 to reinvest in developments, such as its plans for a waste-to-energy plant in Hull. Imagine the savings for businesses that have considerable freight traffic across the bridge.
The Chancellor’s statement also included news of a second enterprise zone in the Humber. The new enterprise zone includes the threatened BAE Systems site at Brough, a vacant site at Paull, part of Queen Elizabeth Dock in Hull, and Grimsby docks.
It follows the designation as an enterprise zone of an area in total twice the size, which includes the Green Port Hull development site at Alexandra Dock and the Able UK site at Killingholme on the south bank. The first enterprise zone is the UK’s biggest.
What is happening here is effectively land assembly on a grand scale - bringing all the pieces together into a coherent and attractive whole. It forms a hugely attractive proposition for the burgeoning renewable energy industry to make the Humber its UK home.
So much has been written and said about whether Siemens will build offshore wind turbines in Hull. Well, after yesterday’s news, surely the case for the German giant investing in Hull is unbeatable. A final “yes” from Siemens could, and should, be just the start of a series of major investments on both banks of the Humber in developments that would transform the region’s economy, bringing substantial and sustainable jobs and unprecedented prosperity.
It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revitalise the region’s economic fortunes and the foundations are being put in place rapidly to make it a reality.
At last, the Humber can become genuinely an economic identity, with the sub-regional capital of Hull at its heart. That’s great for investment, jobs, prosperity and regional pride.
But, just remember, don’t dare call our united region Humberside!

This is Hull: Second enterprise zone for Humber confirmed

Humber LEP: Second Humber enterprise zone approved

Sustaining community journalism in the regions.

There’s a growing debate about the future of local and regional newspapers as the industry is assailed by multiple challenges.
I’ve written an article for trade publication InPublishing addressing some of the issues. I’ve chosen to focus on what I believe should be done to sustain journalism in the regions, rather than how we save print newspapers. To me, it’s the content and the vital role of journalism in local communities that really matters, not the platform.

I would appreciate comments and feedback, from inside and outside the industry. It’s a crucial debate - please join it.
InPublishing: Sustaining community journalism in the regions

Humber Bridge tolls: Two 'copy-cat' bids but is original still in front?

Businessman Malcolm Scott is being admirably magnanimous about the latest proposal to buy the Humber Bridge debt and cut the tolls. He must feel imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Equally, he may well feel that what could be described as “copy-cat” bids reinforce the credibility of his original proposal.
It’s interesting that today’s (18th November) Hull Daily Mail quotes East Riding Council leader Councillor Stephen Parnaby suggesting the Government will favour a private sector Humber Bridge solution. Malcolm’s “Our Humber Bridge” social enterprise bid is the only one that fits that description.
Ministers are said to be preparing a major “growth programme” to be included in the Autumn statement on 29th November. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a solution - or in the jargon phrase a “direction of travel” - on the Humber Bridge was part of that plan.
If the Government is looking for an innovative, Big Society solution, ministers will back Malcolm Scott’s proposal. If ministers prefer to play safe, they will support the Humber Bridge Board’s plan.
I simply can’t see the latest bid, from North Lincolnshire Council, being supported, partly because it has been formulated without buy-in from the other Humber local authorities.
It is also interesting that today’s Yorkshire Post suggests that Government officials have not looked favourably upon the bridge board’s plan.
It could well be that, despite competition from the two subsequent alternative proposals, Mr Scott’s plan is now a stronger proposition than when it was the only alternative to the status quo or the Government wiping out the debt entirely (which, given the state of the country’s coffers, now looks a non-runner).
Hull Daily Mail: All bridge takeover bids want the same outcome

Yorkshire Post: Bid to slash tolls on the Humber by April
Our Humber Bridge campaign

Another bid to slash Humber Bridge tolls

The Hull Daily Mail has revealed a third bid to slash the Humber Bridge tolls, this time from North Lincolnshire Council.
The council claims it will cut the tolls in half to £1.50 each way for cars by April, rather than several years down the line, because it will pay back the £100 million borrowed over 24 years rather than eight.
I can't imagine ministers will back a plan put forward by just one of the Humber councils. However, there is now unstoppable momentum to lift the Humber Bridge debt burden and slash the tolls. Malcolm Scott deserves huge credit for getting the ball rolling.

Great coverage for Hull and East Yorkshire's new economic story

The Hull and East Yorkshire Bondholders have had some very positive coverage on the new economic story for the region, revealed at last Friday's (11th November) Bondholders breakfast meeting. The Hull Daily Mail carried a positive piece on the day of the event and the Yorkshire Post published an opinion article by Bondholders chair Jim Dick yesterday (14th November) (see below).
As a Bondholders Advisory Group member I was interviewed about the story on BBC Radio Humberside by presenter Andy Comfort today (15th November). You can listen again via the link below (the interview starts at 1.53).
"The time is right for Hull's new story of economics, ambition and success"

John Meehan BBC Radio Humberside interview on Hull and East Yorkshire's new economic story

Body mix-up scandal: A test of leadership

It comes with the territory and every leader should be prepared for it. Some even have training in handling it. But when it happens, many organisations and their leaders become like rabbits trapped in the headlights.

I’m talking about when a story breaks that puts organisations under the most intense media scrutiny and pressure. The type of story that causes public shock, anger, even revulsion, and prompts a media “feeding frenzy”. The type of story that leads to extreme reputational damage, litigation, resignations, sackings ... even arrests.

Just such a story erupted in Hull yesterday (Sunday, 6th November) when the BBC locally revealed that the body of a 77-year-old woman was apparently buried in 2000, instead of that of Christopher Alder, 37, who had died in police custody.

Just two days earlier, Mr Alder’s body had been discovered in the mortuary at Hull Royal Infirmary 11 years after he was supposed to have been laid to rest following a funeral attended by scores of mourners.

And it gets worse. Today (Monday, 7th November) the Hull Daily Mail carried interviews with the outraged sister of Mr Alder and friends and relatives of Mrs Kamara. Incredibly, the scandal was only exposed on the day of Mrs Kamara’s funeral as family and friends gathered to pay their respects. When family members insisted on seeing the body, so that they could dress it according to Nigerian custom, they were told the remains were missing. Soon after, it became apparent that Mr Alder’s body was in the mortuary, in the place where Mrs Kamara’s should have been. It is now assumed that Mrs Kamara’s body was buried instead of Mr Alder’s back in 2000.

The paragraph above is worth re-reading. Yes, it seems that the body of a 77-year-old woman was buried instead of that of a 37-year-old man. Yes, the body of a man who died in intensely controversial circumstances in police cells amid claims of racism has remained in a local authority mortuary for 11 years, unknown to his loved ones. Yes, it is possible that a funeral might have taken place without a body, had the family of Mrs Kamara not insisted on seeing her remains.
It is the most astonishing and deeply shocking series of revelations that defy explanation, even comprehension. As so many people have commented, it beggars belief.

The revelations thrust Hull City Council chief executive Nicola Yates into an intense public spotlight. She is known to be uncomfortable with media attention but, to her credit, she fronted up.

She appeared for the cameras outside the Guidhall council offices yesterday to say she was “appalled and distraught” by the events and to pledge a thorough review of what had happened. She was sombrely dressed and read from a statement carefully and respectfully. She was right to appear - a faceless statement would have seemed heartless - but the statement seemed a little short on regret or apology.

The statement was, at best, a holding position and would never have been sufficient to address the understandable bewilderment and anger of the families. It needed firmer action and that came today with Humberside Police Chief Constable Tim Hollis announcing a criminal investigation into the matter.
Expressing his sympathy for the families of Mr Alder and Mrs Kamara, Mr Hollis also announced that the investigation would be conducted by officers from the South Yorkshire force - a sound decision given the history of the Alder case.

So now the inquiry into this appalling state of affairs is not just a matter of what went wrong, and who might be disciplined internally as a result, but a question of who might face arrest and possible prosecution. In the circumstances, quite right too.

The police intervention does not in any way diminish the terrible events, or their impact on two families and their friends, but it does indicate the authorities are treating the matter with the required gravity.

It was also quite right that Ms Yates met today with Mr Alder’s sister Janet and a friend of Mrs Kamara, Christine Omoregie. They deserve to meet with the most senior official at the local authority to express their anger and pose their questions directly, even if the answers at this stage are: “We don’t know”.

My sincere sympathies and condolences are with the families of Mr Alder and Mrs Kamara. Put yourself in their places and imagine the shock, extreme anger and disgust you would feel. They have been bereaved and now they are victims of a most terrible act of incompetence or, even, wilful deceit.

But I also have some sympathy for Ms Yates and Chief Constable Hollis. I know them both to be highly capable and professional individuals, who take their responsibilities very seriously. Neither was in office when Mr Alder or Mrs Kamara died. I am sure that neither had an inkling of any problem until Friday’s astonishing revelations.

But that is not to absolve them of responsibility or accountability - both come with leadership. What went wrong may have happened many years ago before they took charge, but it has come out into the open now, on their “watch”. They and their organisations - and perhaps others, such as the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and the Coroner’s Office - have a responsibility to front up during the crisis, ensure no stone is left unturned in uncovering what happened, and ensure those responsible are held fully to account, quite possibly in a court of law.

The story is likely to run and run. The police investigation must be exhaustive; an exhumation of the body buried instead of Mr Alder’s seems certain; and Mr Alder will finally be laid to rest.

Throughout it all, the authorities must resist the temptation to seek safety in a bunker mentality or become defensive under what may be unrelenting media scrutiny.

The only way to deal with such a crisis is with openness and transparency. Ms Yates, Chief Constable Hollis and other leaders involved in this case must communicate what is being done to address the grievous wrongs, within sensible legal restrictions. They must treat the family and friends of Mr Alder and Mrs Kamara with the utmost courtesy, respect and openness. Above all, they must leave no stone unturned in discovering the truth and ensuring those responsible, by action or inaction, are held fully to account, whatever the consequences.

The Alder case was a nightmare for Humberside Police, with its allegations of racism and police brutality. Now that nightmare has come back to haunt them. And Hull City Council have joined them in the eye of the storm.

It’s a testing time for all the organisations involved in this appalling sequence of events and, most of all, for their leaders. This scandal has been deeply damaging, but failing in any way to address fully the families’ concerns, failing to uncover the whole truth, or failing to hold those responsible to account would be simply unacceptable.

Will the leaders pass the test of leadership? If so, they and their organisations can, even now, emerge with some credit from these disgraceful events.

Postcript (8th November):
When I wrote this blog I was unaware that it was Hull City Council chief executive Nicola Yates who requested that the matter should be the subject of a police investigation, to which Humberside Police readily agreed.
In a statement issued to the media Ms Yates said: “As chair of the multi-agency group dealing with the tragic circumstances around Grace Kamara and Christopher Alder, I have requested the police undertake a criminal investigation into this extremely distressing case.
“As I previously said, I am appalled and distraught at what we have learned and my first priority has been to make sure the families involved are kept informed and given the necessary support.
“It is vital the families and the public get a clear view of the facts and understand what happened. A thorough police investigation will make sure this happens.
“Now that the police are carrying out a formal investigation it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.
“I recognise that this has been very traumatic for everyone involved and I again offer my sincere sympathies to the families.”