Middlesbrough

Introduction

Situated within the Tees Valley sub-region on the southern bank of the River Tees, Middlesbrough is a major retail, commercial and university town. In April 1996 Middlesbrough became a unitary council, replacing the two-tier system of the borough council and Cleveland County Council, and is now responsible for all local authority services. Middlesbrough also has a directly elected Mayor. 

Middlesbrough’s economy was traditionally based in heavy engineering and chemicals, and although the local economy has diversified to include media, design and e-commerce a major contributor to the local economy remains the petrochemical sector which contains many world class businesses. Middlesbrough’s Institute of Modern Art (Mima) opened in 2007 to critical acclaim.

Recent Visits

Friday 13 June: Rt Hon John Denham MP, Secretary of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills – Keynote speech at the Regional Launch of the National Skills Academy, Teesside University.

Thursday 26 June: Iain Wright MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government - spoke at Quality Places Forum at Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough.

Thursday 10 July: Iain Wright MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government - Presentation to the Housing Market Renewal design task group in Middlesbrough.

Demographics for Middlesbrough

Mid-2006 Population Estimates

Children and Learners

• School Capital Funding allocations for the next three years were announced in November 2007. As a result Middlesbrough LA will receive £7.2 million in 2008/09 (including £1.6 million for modernisation and £2.7 million for devolved formula funding), £9.8 million in 2009/10 (including £3.2 million from the Primary Capital Programme) and £12.1 million in 2010/11 (including £5.9 million from the Primary Capital Programme) - although 2009-11 figures are only indicative at this stage
• Middlesbrough is in wave 2 of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme and will benefit from funding of £115.5 million (£108 million build funding and £7.5 million ICT) to cover 7 schools and a Pupil Referral Unit. Based on the current timetable the first schools in this project should be rebuilt or renewed by September 2010 and the last by September 2012
• in December 2006 work started on the new £70 million Middlesbrough College in Middlehaven. The building is due to open in 2008 and will house 2,800 full-time and 17,000 part time students
• three City Academies lie within Middlesbrough with pledged support of approximately £2 million each. The Macmillan Academy in West Middlesbrough will specialise in Science, P.E and Outdoor Education. It is also a Department for Children Schools and Families designated Training School for teachers and the only school in the country to be a training centre for National College for School leadership courses
• a £4 million project to improve school buildings was announced in August 2006. Approved schemes include a new £1 million nursery, a new playground and post-16 facilities. The cash incorporates a £2 million government grant matched by Middlesbrough Council

Health and Well Being

• a £270 million transformation of NHS services across the country will see a new GP surgery with additional facilities to open in Middlesbrough under the NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) programme. 

Crime

• during 2008-11 the partnership will receive a Home Office contribution to their Area Based Grant of £840,000.  This equates to £280,000 per year. Their funding is to be used to support the delivery of the LAA agreed priorities.
• over £216,000 has been allocated under the Home office Basic Command Unit fund for 2008-09 to help police play a full and active role in delivery of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership strategies and policing plans to contribute towards achievement of PSA and local targets.
  

Transport

• £5.7 million allocated for Middlesbrough for 2007-08 from the integrated transport and maintenance block, to support several schemes including access for all, cycling, public transport, safety, security and demand management
• £16 million to improve access to the North Middlesbrough area, including a through-about at Hartington Interchange on the A66. This scheme has been given full ministerial approval. Middlesbrough Borough Council will receive almost £12.3 million from LTP funds. They hope to commence construction in July 2008 and be completed by the end of 2009

Social Inclusion and Regeneration

• £52 million of New Deal for Communities funding has been allocated over 10 years for West Middlesbrough. A Business Grant Fund is helping new businesses to start up and existing businesses to become more competitive. Twenty six grants, totalling over £65,000 have now been awarded
• £7.4 million through Working Neighbourhoods Fund for 2008-09, £8.53 million for 2009-10 and £8.8 million for 2010-11 have been allocated to tackle areas of the highest concentrations of worklessness and lowest levels of skills and enterprise, faced by the most disadvantaged communities. And at least £3.2 million over four years from the Neighbourhood element of Safer and Stronger Communities Fund
• young people aged between fifteen to twnety years, in West Middlesbrough, are taking part in one of four pilots to be trained as advisers on local decisions affecting them. The pilot launched by Communities and Local Government Neighbourhood Renewal Unit complements the Learning to Listen initiative led by the former Department for Education and Skills

European Funding

• the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art opened on 27 January 2007 with the help of £4.8 million of European Regional Development Funding. It has already exceeded expectations with more than 81,000 people visiting the £14.2 million gallery, which is 80 per cent of projected annual visitor numbers achieved in the first six months
• ten years ago unemployment in South Bank and Grangetown in Middlesbrough was in excess of 20 per cent. The Job Connect, Redcar and Cleveland project established outreach sessions in community venues to encourage residents into studying and training for employment. Since then more than 2,000 residents have been helped into work and 550 have achieved vocational qualifications