'GIVING POWER BACK TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH TYNESIDE'

13 FEBRUARY 02

The toughest decision in politics is to give away power. After all, aren't elected politicians meant to exercise power? But in fact, devolving power in return for gaining influence can be the key to effective leadership.

The decision by the council to set up a Transformation Commission to plot a secure economic future for the borough is a good one. And the willingness to make the council a minority stakeholder in the process, so that citizens and organisations from business and voluntary sectors have their say, is a brave decision, and a real demonstration of leadership. In September, at the conference of the Coalfields Communities Campaign, I said South Tyneside needed to make better use of its assets, then build a future around what makes us special.The Transformation Commission gives us the chance to do that.

This is our chance to celebrate what is good, and build on it. Let us make more of the asset of a world renowned marine college. Let's use the unique combination of river and sea to build business. Let's think whether the historical link to Bede, a major contributor to European civilization, doesn't create new opportunities for tourism.
And let's turn the strength of our community - the biggest asset - into a platform for venturing out into the region and the wider world.

When I arrived in South Tyneside, people talked about weaknesses. They said we were the smallest borough, squeezed between Newcastle and Sunderland, with limited available land. But these supposed weaknesses are in fact strengths, and the job of the Transformation Commission is to help us make the most of them.
The fact that we are small is an advantage, because we can hold on to our strong sense of community, but also achieve change quite fast, and become flexible in the face of economic development. The fact that we are between Newcastle and Sunderland means we can get the advantages of partnerships with both, without the downsides of living in a big city.

And we have industrial land, developed in the 1960s, that needs to be upgraded, and in the process we can make it more attractive for business and employment.
I don't know where the Transformation Commission will end up. But I do know the following:
First, it can help us be more ambitious. Stockton now has a branch of Durham University. Why shouldn't South Tyneside have a university campus?
Second, it can create a new economic vision for the borough, based on small business in the borough, and effective transport to jobs outside the borough. Armed with this vision, we can bang on doors in the region and in Westminster to get the backing we need.
Third, it can help us link into networks that are the key to the future - business, education, and tourism.
By looking outwards we can find partners for projects important to us, from regenerating retail in the borough to ensuring that our small businesses get their share of the market from big contracts, whether for ship building on the Tyne or car building by Nissan.
There's one other thing. It will only work if we all contribute. The Commission will be holding meetings all over the borough to get people's ideas. It's all our futures and we all need to help shape it.