Teesside Freeport

Last updated

Teesside Freeport is the largest Freeport in the United Kingdom, where special arrangements apply for taxation and customs. [1] It was launched in 2021. [2]

Contents

A ministerial visit by Kwasi Kwarteng to the Teesworks site in 2021 Teesworks Business Secretary Visit.jpg
A ministerial visit by Kwasi Kwarteng to the Teesworks site in 2021

The freeport covers 4,500 acres across multiple sites including:

South Tees Development Corporation, which predates the freeport, has made substantial investments at the Teesworks site. [4] [3] With the announcement of the freeport, and the anticipated demand for land within it, the programme of demolition and remediation work was accelerated.

Developments

In 2022 work began on a £400m factory for SeAH Wind to make offshore wind turbine bases on part of the Teesworks site acquired by Teesworks Ltd for £100. Other projects have been announced. [3]

A Net Zero Teesside Power project broke ground in 2023. NZT Power is a gas-fired power station with carbon capture and storage capability, aiming to become a de-carbonised industrial cluster. [5]

Criticisms of the project

Politicians and the media have criticised Teesworks for possible pollution of the Tees in the context of an unexplained shellfish die-off near Teesside and for a perceived lack of transparency in the transfer of assets. [6]

Pollution concerns

In October 2021 work started on the 1.2 km South Bank Quay project to provide a deep water facility. In the same month thousands of dead crabs and lobsters were washed up on the Tees estuary and beaches along the North-East coast of England. The deaths were first reported in Seaton Carew, Redcar and Seaham. [7] Some people blamed dredging of the Tees, but this was not supported by government enquiries.

Corruption allegations, transparency concerns and inquiry

The corporate structure behind the freeport includes multiple subsidiary companies of which several have local business owners Chris Musgrave and Martin Corney as directors. MPs have alleged that significant assets have been transferred to these directors without a formal tendering process as is usual for public-sector development projects in the UK. [8] Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald, citing a Private Eye article in Parliament, said that the only economic growth being delivered at Teesworks "is into the accounts of Ben Houchen's pals, Messrs Musgrave and Corney". He alleged that for a £100 investment, the developers would "benefit to the tune of £100m". [9]

Teesworks; independent inquiry

The government announced an independent inquiry in May 2023. [10] On the same day the freeport's director, Nolan Gray, announced that he was leaving; the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) said that the role which was created in 2021 was no longer necessary and that Gray would not be replaced. [11] The inquiry reported in January 2024. It found no evidence of corruption, but criticised lack of transparency. [12] [13] [14]

Some people would have liked more involvement on the part of the National Audit Office. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Tees</span> East coast river of Northern England

The River Tees, in England, rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines and flows eastwards for 85 miles (137 km) to reach the North Sea in the North East of England. The modern-day history of the river has been tied with the industries on Teesside in its lower reaches, where it has provided the means of import and export of goods to and from the North East England. The need for water further downstream also meant that reservoirs were built in the extreme upper reaches, such as Cow Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcar and Cleveland</span> Borough in North Yorkshire, England

Redcar and Cleveland is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Its council has been a unitary authority since 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcar</span> Town in North Yorkshire, England

Redcar is a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority. It is in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, and is located 7 miles (11 km) east of Middlesbrough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Valley</span> Combined authority region in North East England

Tees Valley is a combined authority area in North East England, around the lower River Tees. The area is not a geographical valley; the local term for the valley is Teesdale. The combined authority covers five council areas: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesside International Airport</span> Civilian airport in County Durham, Northern England

Teesside International Airport, formerly Durham Tees Valley Airport, is a minor international airport in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It primarily serves Teesside south and mid County Durham and north North Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcar Central railway station</span> Railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Redcar Central is a railway station on the Tees Valley Line, which runs between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn via Darlington. The station, situated 7 miles 64 chains (12.6 km) east of Middlesbrough, serves the seaside town of Redcar, Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesside Airport railway station</span> Railway station in County Durham, England

Teesside Airport railway station is on the Tees Valley line which runs between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn via Darlington in County Durham, England. The station is 5.5 miles (9 km) east of Darlington and about 1 mile (1.6 km) from Teesside International Airport, which owns the station. It is managed by Northern Trains, which also operated the limited service calling at the station prior to its temporary closure in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcar British Steel railway station</span> Disused railway station in North Yorkshire, England

Redcar British Steel is a mothballed railway station on the Tees Valley Line, which runs between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn via Darlington. The station, situated 5+3⁄4 miles (9 km) east of Middlesbrough, served the Teesside Steelworks, Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England. At the time of the suspension of services, the station was owned by Network Rail and managed by Arriva Rail North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesside Development Corporation</span> Former regeneration body in England

The Teesside Development Corporation was a government-backed development corporation that was established in 1987 to fund and manage regeneration projects in the former county of Cleveland in North East England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesside Steelworks</span>

The Teesside Steelworks was a large steelworks that formed a continuous stretch along the south bank of the River Tees from the towns of Middlesbrough to Redcar in North Yorkshire, England. At its height there were 91 blast furnaces within a 10-mile radius of the area. By the end of the 1970s there was only one left on Teesside. Opened in 1979 and located near the mouth of the River Tees, the Redcar blast furnace was the second largest in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Valley Metro</span> Proposed transport system in England

The Tees Valley Metro was a project to upgrade the Tees Valley Line and sections of the Esk Valley Line and Durham Coast Line to provide a faster and more frequent service across the North of England. In the initial phases the services would have been heavy rail mostly along existing alignments. The later phase would have introduced tram-trains to allow street running. The project was backed by all the local authorities through which the system would have run: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. Support was also forthcoming from the Department for Transport. The project was cancelled due to lack of funding, with the focus moving to the Northern Rail franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teesside Wind Farm</span> British offshore wind farm

Teesside Wind Farm, or alternatively referred to as Redcar Wind Farm, is a 27 turbine 62 MW capacity offshore wind farm constructed just to the east of the mouth of the River Tees and 1.5 km north of Redcar off the North Yorkshire coast, in the North Sea, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy McDonald (politician)</span> British politician (born 1958)

Andrew Joseph McDonald is a British Labour Party politician and solicitor serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East since 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council</span> Unitary authority in England

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is the local authority for Redcar and Cleveland, a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Since 1996 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. The council was created in 1974 as Langbaurgh Borough Council and was a lower-tier authority until 1996 when it was renamed and became a unitary authority, taking over county-level functions from the abolished Cleveland County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees Valley Combined Authority</span> Local government institution in North East England

The Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) is the combined authority for the Tees Valley urban area in North East England consisting of the following five unitary authorities: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees, covering a population of approximately 700,000 people. It was proposed that a combined authority be established by statutory instrument under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. It is a strategic authority with powers over transport, economic development and regeneration including the flagship Teesside Freeport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Houchen</span> British politician (born 1986)

Ben Houchen, Baron Houchen of High Leven, is a British Conservative politician and life peer. He has been Tees Valley Mayor since 2017, winning the inaugural mayoral election in the combined authority. Houchen was re-elected in 2021 and won a third term in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Tees Valley mayoral election</span> Local election in England

The 2021 Tees Valley mayoral election was held on 6 May 2021 to elect the Tees Valley Mayor on the same day as other local elections across the country. The mayor was elected by the supplementary vote. The election was originally due to take place in May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MSG Sphere London was a proposed music and entertainment venue to be built in the Stratford area of East London, England. Initially proposed by the United States–based Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) in 2018, and subjected to a protracted planning process, the plans were officially withdrawn by MSG in January 2024.

The 2021 North-East England shellfish die-off was a series of occasions where a mass of shellfish were found on beaches on the Durham and Yorkshire Coasts in northern England, either dead, or in stages of dying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Tees Valley mayoral election</span>

The 2024 Tees Valley mayoral election was held on 2 May 2024 to elect the mayor of the Tees Valley, part of the 2024 United Kingdom local elections. The Conservative incumbent mayor and member of the House of Lords, Ben Houchen, was re-elected with 53.6% of the vote.

References

  1. ↑ "Low taxes and levelling up: the great freeport experiment comes to Teesside". The Guardian. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "Teesside Freeport". Tees Valley Combined Authority. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Teesworks will be almost full within 18 months - Houchen". 19 July 2023 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  4. ↑ "Northern Powerhouse Minister greenlights" (Press release). Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. 2019.
  5. ↑ "Work Begins At Teesworks To Pave Way For World-Leading NZT Power Project". 28 September 2023.
  6. ↑ Hansard - Alex Cunningham (2023). Prime Minister's Questions
  7. ↑ "Dead crabs and fish washed up on Teesside beaches". BBC News. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  8. ↑ Private Eye : issues 1585 - 1590, 2022 - 2023.
  9. ↑ "Mayor brands MP 'liar and a coward' in project row". BBC News. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  10. 1 2 Brown, Mark; Quinn, Ben (24 May 2023). "Michael Gove orders review into corruption allegations at Teesside freeport". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  11. ↑ "Teesside Freeport chief quits as Teesworks inquiry announced". The Northern Echo . Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Teesworks inquiry: 'No evidence of corruption'". January 2024.
  13. ↑ "Developers of controversial UK regeneration project 'reluctantly' agree to renegotiate terms". www.ft.com.
  14. ↑ "Teesworks inquiry raises questions on governance in England's devolved regions". www.ft.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.