Economy, Jobs and Skills

The most successful economies are those with high levels of social capital, where transparent institutions reduce the "transaction costs" of doing business. In Newcastle, the current administration has allowed the city’s economic levers to become opaque and slow-moving—a classic symptom of institutional decay. Our vision is that by radically opening up the city’s assets and simplifying its processes, we can unleash a wave of local innovation and entrepreneurship.

Radically Transparent Regeneration

Residents, businesses and stakeholders must be able to see the progress being made to deliver a thriving economy in Newcastle. Too often, projects appear stalled, off-track, or over-budget. Proving that we can deliver at pace and at scale will be core to boosting confidence in Newcastle as a place to invest. 

• Every major Council-led project will undergo a "soft take-off" to align goals and risks across the leadership. Crucially, each project will have a dedicated public webpage detailing its budget, risks, and progress, overseen by a named, public-facing Project Manager.
• For developer-led projects, we will appoint Project Coordinators specifically to manage delivery. Our goal is to reduce the time from inception to site as a matter of institutional pride, using Accelerated Development Zone (ADZ) funding to ensure professional delivery.

Reclaiming the Commons

Newcastle City Council is a major landowner, yet much of our portfolio is hidden or underutilised. This is a failure of stewardship.

• We will put the entire Council property portfolio on a public GIS map, detailing the status (let or vacant), ward, and condition of every asset.
• We will stop the drain of public money to external commercial agents. We will ensure that our buildings serve the city’s social goals, not just a contractor's profit margin.
• We will advertise all vacant properties and development land on our website. To combat the "empty property tax" drain and foster innovation, we will offer vacant units to start-ups at accessible rates, turning dead spaces into engines of growth.

Integrated Infrastructure: The Transport-Economy Link

An economy is only as strong as its connections. We align with the national party’s focus on "place-based" economic growth by fixing our broken transport integration.

• We will end the siloed thinking of separate "Cycling," "Bus," and "Taxi" forums. We will establish a single Transport Forum where all stakeholders sit in the same room to solve problems collaboratively.
• We will reimagine our City Centre parking, looking at best use of land outside of multi-storeys and explore using the top floors of multi-storey car parks to install solar panels, turning symbols of the old carbon economy into generators for the new one.

Skills for the Long View

In line with the national Liberal Democrat strategy, we focus on "securing the talent Britain needs".

• We will work with tenants in our property portfolio to invest in energy-saving measures and refurbishment, helping viable businesses retain staff and thrive in Newcastle.
• We champion the national call for “Skills Wallets”, giving every adult in Newcastle the financial agency to retrain and adapt to a changing world, ensuring no one is left behind by the march of technology.

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