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Local Press coverage of the adoption of Karen Allen read as follow :-
THE Tory set to take on David Miliband at the next general election has marked out the decline of South Shields town centre as the battleground she'll fight her campaign on.
The next election is not expected to be held until next year, but Ms Allen is already drawing her battle lines. She said: "The biggest issue I'll be campaigning on is jobs and enterprise. "South Shields has a town centre that's dying, and we've got call centres half full. That all needs to change. "We need to bring in other industries to the borough. We can't just rely on the service industry. There's no innovation." Asked why she wants to take on the Foreign Secretary, she said: "I've been interested in politics since a very young age. "I was born and brought up here, so it was the natural choice for me. It was the only place I wanted to stand." Despite being listed on the electoral roll as living in Kingsway, South Shields, the former Harton Comprehensive School pupil has been based in London since 1998, and spends only a few days here each month. When asked how much time she spends in South Tyneside, she said: "In an average month, probably about four or five days, but I'll be here more from now on. My employer is very understanding." Ms Allen, a former broker for insurer Lloyd's of London, works for top financial firm Towers Perrin.
AS recession looks set to officially hit next quarter, and jobs have already been lost at the Tanfield Group, we need more than ever to bring new jobs into the region. I was encouraged to read in the Gazette that Tech Mahindra, an Indian technology company, is to launch a new operation in Jarrow which will create 500 jobs. One North East has very generously given Tech Mahindra a grant of £2m towards this purposADVERTISEMENTe. This started to ring a faint bell as I recalled Garlands was also the lucky recipients of such a grant (to the tune of £600,000 in 2007) as it pledged to create 1,000 jobs out of their new call centre on the Tyne. Over a year later, however, I understand there are fewer than 100 people working at Garlands in South Shields. Tech Mahindra is expected to create between 50 to 75 initial jobs, which is to be grown into 500 jobs. I sincerely do hope this happens because North East England needs these jobs, but I couldn't help thinking of the old proverb: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." On that very note, I was heartened to read in the Gazette last week that Muirneag is to undergo refurbishment at A&P Tyne, Hebburn. Nick Brown, MP for Tyne East and Wallsend is reported to be analysing which infrastructure projects in North East England can be brought forward. Well, better late than never, I suppose. But why this wasn't the focus of Labour MPs lobbying for the last 10 years, I don't understand. With the largest concentration of Labour MPs anywhere in the country, it's a disgrace to learn the findings of a report from the Civil Engineers' Institute – which rings clear the continued neglect – and that it estimates £300m of investment would generate up to £1.5bn in economic growth in the region. Yet failed lobbying allowed the upgrade of the A1 to be downgraded to "regional" rather than "national" importance. We need more investment desperately in South Shields and the north east. Let's make sure we are not just dishing out money, but that we are attracting sustainable job opportunities for long-term growth. Karen Allen, |
