Renewables and Culture can make Hull the 'Power' in the Northern Powerhouse, say MPs and business leaders

Diana Johnson MP addresses the meeting, watched by (from left) Chamber Chief Executive Dr Ian Kelly, ABP’s Humber Director Simon Bird and Tim Powell from Scotts Property LLP.

RENEWABLES and Culture could make Hull the “power” in the Northern Powerhouse – that was the message from a lunch with Hull MPs Diana Johnson, Emma Hardy and business leaders hosted by the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce.

Chaired by Hull & Humber Chamber President Phil Ascough, a lively and good-humoured discussion included road links into Hull Port, Brexit, Devolution, Renewables, the City of Culture and many more.

Held at the Holiday Inn Hull Marina Hotel, business leaders from Siemens, DONG Energy and ABP highlighted how the Hornsea 1 and 2 windfarms would be catalysts for the long-term renewal of the Humber Estuary, while other business leaders outlined their companies’ strategies for the future. These included Paul Andrews, from Smith & Nephew, who said the company had invested heavily in its Hull factory recently, especially to protect the site from future flooding as a result of climate change affecting the fourth largest estuary in Europe.

Reckitt Benckiser’s (RB) new site director, Bruce Charlesworth, explained his company had divided into two new business units, health, and home hygiene, in part to address global challenges, but it was positive news for Hull with a £105-million investment in the city at its new Centre of Excellence.

On devolution, business leaders reviewed how the events in Catalonia in Spain could easily become the consequence of badly conceived devolution in Yorkshire. The Chamber highlighted why it favoured a more economically focused devolution around the Humber as a “functional economic unit” linked to the Northern Powerhouse, rather than what the Chamber sees as the more “political” model of a “One Yorkshire” devolution which would be on the scale of a mid-sized European country.

Interestingly, both Hull MPs agreed on the importance of both sides of the Humber being part of any final devolution settlement.

Turning to links into the port via Castle Street, Emma Hardy noted she had finally met with the Roads Minister and pointed out the delays to the scheme, noting the dangers of a lack of urgency at Highways England to push the scheme through. She said Chris Grayling was sympathetic and understood the anxieties around getting the scheme started as soon as possible. A proposed footbridge was also being separated from the rest of the nationally strategic scheme as a project which could be progressed sooner rather than later.

Chamber Chief Executive Dr Ian Kelly said: “Our Parliamentarians recognise these are some of the best of times for Hull and its City region and the business investment and strategic political decisions we make now could completely transform the city’s prospects for the future. This was an excellent meeting of minds on several key issues!”

In closing, Diana Johnson thanked the Chamber on behalf of all the Hull MPs for keeping up a strong and positive dialogue between the city’s MPs and businesses in what she also felt was a key period in the city’s history which could put the “power” into the Northern Powerhouse, thanks to the vast renewables opportunities in the North Sea and the new image achieved by Hull as the UK’s City of Culture.


Emma Hardy discusses the Skills agenda as Chamber President Phil Ascough (centre) and Paul Andrews from Smith & Nephew listen intently.