IMPACT: Investing in Place

Do we still have pride in our region? How regeneration and a local focus on investment can build stronger communities.
About this Event

Regeneration and a razor-sharp focus on investment are bringing pride back into our communities, with truly game-changing initiatives all over the North East.

With a new Government in place, the spotlight on Andy Burnham’s regions is brighter than ever, with his pledge to deliver power ‘into every postcode', so the next BUSINESSiQ Impact will look at how our own regional powerhouse is working in partnership with Government to build for the future.

This is about Place – with a capital P - the towns, high streets and communities where investment makes a difference through town centre schemes, new transport links, housing, skills, education and cultural spaces. The funding is real and, in places, substantial, so this event will ask ‘does local investment reach the communities it is meant to serve, and can it restore or reinvigorate pride in where they live?’

And we are in the perfect venue, with Darlington College at the heart of one of the most exciting schemes – the culmination of the Central Park project in Darlington with a new STEM centre backed by £5m of Pride in Place funding and £16m of central government support. All this focus is just yards from the new railway station where millions have already been invested and just around the corner from the country’s biggest example of regionalised power – the second Darlington Economic Campus.

We will bring together developers, council leaders, community organisations, local business owners, investors and policy partners to talk about what is actually being built, where the money is landing, and what it takes to make investment matter for the people who live and work in these places.

Whether you work in regeneration, education, communities or policymaking, this is the conversation to be part of, with time built in to connect, challenge thinking and build relationships that go somewhere.

Agenda

9:30 Arrival and networking
10:00 Keynote (TBC).
10:30 Panel discussion with Impact partners, plus audience Q&A (Host: Mike Hughes)
12:00 Close

As part of registration, you will be invited to submit up to two questions. Where possible, these will be put to the panel and used to steer the discussion.

Important information:

• Free parking is available on site.
• Upon arrival, please sign in at the main reception.
• Tea and coffee will be available.

The Northern Echo's Impact campaign backs economic, social and environmental change across the North East, helping build a region where businesses do well, communities have a real stake in growth, and the gains reach the people who live here.