Nick Brown MP » Regional Minister

Budget 2010 – A Good Deal for the North East

ER — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:33:03 +0000

: Nick with Chancellor Alistair Darling at this year’s Regional Cabinet in Durham

Today’s Budget is good news for the East Newcastle, putting economic growth first, to ensure that people have the skills and jobs they need to succeed in the world and their children have the opportunities to get on and get ahead.

The Labour Government has laid out a clear plan to cut the deficit within four years once the recovery is guaranteed, while protecting vital frontline services – in health, education and police numbers.

Nick Brown said: “This is a budget for economic recovery. The strategy is the right one. It is particularly right for our region. The measures aimed at small and medium sized businesses have a disproportionately beneficial impact on the economy of the North East. The extension of the time to pay initiative and the extension of help for business liquidity are both proposals that the business community have made to me.”

Regional Cabinet in the North East

ER — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:10:23 +0000

: Nick speaking at today’s Regional Cabinet in Durham

The Cabinet met today in the North East for the first time ever. Newcastle East MP Nick Brown took the chance to show his Government colleagues the very best that the region has to offer.

Nick Brown said: “This is a tremendous chance to show our region at its best. As the Minister for the North East I will be hosting the meeting, the very first time that the Cabinet has met in a school. The previous Regional Cabinets have been a terrific success, and I am delighted to add the North East to the list of places that have been visited.”

In 2008 the Prime Minister announced that he planned to take the Cabinet to hear people’s views around the country. So far, there have been meetings and public engagement sessions in Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Glasgow, Cardiff, Nottingham, Liverpool and, today, in Durham.

The session was held at Durham Johnston Comprehensive, one of the 4000 schools to be built or refurbished since 1997. In Durham as in Newcastle, students are benefiting from the largest sustained school building programme in British history.

Metro To Be Revitalised By £1/2bn Government Cash Boost

ER — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:19:43 +0000

Nick Brown has welcomed today’s announcement of a £580m government grant to modernise the Tyne and Wear Metro network. Transport Minister Sadiq Khan visited Tyneside to confirm the plans, saying the Metro was “an iconic transport system and the lifeblood of the local community”.

Up to £350m will be spent on modernising stations, installing new escalators, renewing track and refurbishing rolling stock. The remainder will pay for maintenance and running costs until 2019.

Nick said: “Today’s announcement safeguards the future of the Tyne and Wear Metro for a generation. The Metro is the envy of other cities and the Government’s commitment reflects the importance of the Metro to our region.

“The Government’s package of over £300m of capital investment will be focussed on what passengers want, transforming the Metro and renewing its world class status resulting in a better service, securing hundreds of jobs and delivering value for money to the tax payer.”

Recognition for the North East’s “Cultural Champions”

ER — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:13:23 +0000

Nick at Seven Stories with some of those honoured for their work and dedication to the arts

Nick today spoke at an event at Seven Stories in celebration of the Region’s Cultural Champions.

In a scheme run by national body Arts & Business, 20 Cultural Champions were nominated by 15 arts and heritage organisations across the region. They ranged from business figures who sponsored various cultural initiatives to dedicated individuals who volunteered their time.

The success of the arts and the cultural sector across the UK is underpinned by a combination of private and public sector support. Last year that private sector support totalled some £650m. The North East has a rich history of talented and enterprising individuals enhancing the region, but the arts cannot survive without the support of thousands of people who are generously giving their time and support.

Nick said: “Today’s event recognises everything that is good about the arts in the North East. The work that Arts & Business do to support local artists is to be applauded. I’m really pleased to be at Seven Stories today to see the real diversity of our region’s cultural talent. Thank you to everyone for their enthusiasm and encouragement.”

End of the Road in Sight for Car Scrappage Scheme

ER — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:02:38 +0000

Nick with the Prime Minister at the Nissan plant last year

With the scheme closing soon, Minister for the North East and Newcastle East MP Nick Brown encourages the North East’s motorists to take advantage of the car scrappage scheme if they wish to do so, or risk missing out.

Figures released show that more than three quarters of the budget for the Labour Government’s hugely successful scrappage scheme has been used up by individuals and families, boosting UK car sales and helping the car industry through the downturn. Funding for less than 82,000 new vehicles orders is left for consumers to take advantage of under the scheme, as it nears its end.

Nick said: “Labour’s car scrappage scheme has kept our car industry going during these tough times. These figures show that time is running out for people in the North East to get a great deal on a new car by trading in their old one. If people have been thinking about taking advantage of the scrappage scheme then now is the time.

“Unlike the Tories who left the motor industry to sink or swim during the 1990’s, the Labour Government is investing through difficult times to give real help to people and protect jobs and businesses. Nowhere is this clearer than in the North East, where Labour Government investment in Nissan will see the birth of the electric car and the underpinning of a new industry for decades to come.”

Celebrating the Region’s Heritage in Glass Making

ER — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:30:04 +0000

Nick with Stockton MP Dari Taylor

Nick today spoke at an event to celebrate the North East’s heritage in glass making.

The Glass North East exhibition features the work of lecturers, professors and graduates of the University of Sunderland, whose glass work rates among the best in the world. The collection of works highlights the range and quality of glass research being carried out at Sunderland and explains why there is a large demand to study at the university from students across the globe.

Among the artists whose work will be on show are: Cate Watkinson, whose work includes the iconic glass sculpture on roof of the Red Mall of the MetroCentre and the popular Grainger Town public seating artworks; and Byker-based glass jewellery artist Kathryn Wightman, who has been called “the Stella McCartney of glass”.

Nick Welcomes Restructuring of Northern Rock

ER — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:42:32 +0000

Nick in Downing Street with Chancellor Alistair Darling

Nick today welcomed the entry of the newly strengthened Northern Rock to the savings and mortgage market after the restructuring of the company came into effect on 1 January 2010.

Nick said: “This is an important milestone for Northern Rock and its staff. It signals a fresh start for the new, strengthened bank and is a major step towards an independent future.

“The Government has protected the deposits of hundreds of thousands of British families. From today a healthy new Northern Rock will offer savings and mortgage products, increasing competition in the sector and providing consumers with more choice.”

The Government has made clear that it wants to see a well functioning mortgage market with responsible lending and access to a wide range of affordable mortgages. The successful launch of the new Northern Rock is a significant step towards meeting these aims.

Northern Kites Project

ER — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:33:50 +0000

An event this year at Baltic Square to promote the Northern Kites regeneration project

Two years ago Nick Brown visited the Northern Kites project which has re-established the region’s red kite population for the first time in over 200 years. The project winds up this year, and Nick paid tribute to the progress it has made.

Nick said: “The success of Northern Kites has not just been about the birds. It has made a real impact on the surrounding community as well. The project has had direct contact with ten of thousands of people over the past five years, and over 100 of our region’s schools, not to mention all those who have had the chance to see the birds themselves.”

Nissan Announcement Good News for Green Industry in the Region

ER — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:02:08 +0000

Nick with the Prime Minister at the Nissan plant on Monday

Today’s announcements at Nissan are fantastic news for our region. The company has confirmed plans to make Sunderland its European hub for making batteries for electric vehicles. This will mean 350 jobs created at the plant, and the promise of more as the technology gets going.

Nick visited Nissan in January when things were looking tough for the workforce there. This turnaround proves that hard work by the region’s public bodies, together with real engagement of the private sector, can bring jobs even in difficult economic times. This downturn does not have to push thousands into long term unemployment as was allowed to happen in the 1980s.

It’s no coincidence that Nissan have decided to base their push for low-carbon vehicles here in the North East. Nick has visited green programmes right across the region, ranging from the environmentally friendly panelled lighting being made by Thorn Lighting in Durham, to plans for solar-energy generating glass at Romag in Consett.

And earlier this month Nick joined the Prime Minister to see the plans for developing carbon capture technology at the Rio Tinto plant at Lynemouth. The scheme is well advanced, and has the benefit of being next to the North Sea, where the capture and storage would take place. Right across the region there is a developing culture of industrial environmentalism, and a desire to root our economy in the growing industries of the future.

At the heart of this are the ambitious plans for a windfarm factory on the Tyne. Clipper have now confirmed their intention to bring work to the old shipyards, convinced by Nick’s case that we can provide the experience and the skills to drive forward this industry. Companies of this size and international standing locating in our area will provide thousands of jobs which can last for generations.

The Government last week published the National Strategy for Climate and Energy. In order to reach the 2020 target of a 34% cut in emissions, 40% of our electricity will have to come from low-carbon sources, including wind.

By making the North Bank of the Tyne the UK centre for renewable energy we are putting East Newcastle at the centre of the UK’s plans for combating climate change, and at the forefront of a world market for green technology.

Brown Backs Region’s Bid to Create Jobs

ER — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:49:14 +0000

Nick Brown yesterday spoke of his confidence in a bid for thousands of new jobs for the Region. Japanese giant Hitachi is lining up Gateshead as a possible location for a factory to assemble a new generation of high-speed trains.

Nick Brown met representatives of the company in Downing Street this week. He said “It was a good meeting and I set out the case for our site. It is very strong. It is the sort of work that people want to do.

“They would get a good workforce and the site is ideal as it is next to the railway line and the A1.”

Full story in the Journal here.