Five reasons we should be optimistic about Yorkshire's economic recovery in 2021 - Mark Casci

It has challenged us all as businesses, citizens and families in a manner we could never have anticipated. For some of us we have lost loved ones under the cruellest of circumstances.

For others it has caused catastrophic damage to livelihoods and personal prosperity. While we all be glad to see 2020 disappear, I wanted to end the year on a positive note if I can be so bold, and remind us all that brighter days truly do lie ahead.

Firstly, vaccines have been successfully developed and rolled out.

The UK was first in the race to approve them and as I write thousands of people in Yorkshire are getting the jab. After continued failures to control the virus, the UK Government had no option than to jump in with both feet first. It knows it is its only hope of ending the nightmare after Track and Trace proved a dismal failure.

Once we reach that point we can turn the taps on again and lockdowns and restrictions can begin to be consigned to the bin.

Secondly, our region’s versatility.

Recent forecasts have predicted Yorkshire will have one of the slowest recoveries from the Covid-induced recession. Yorkshire as a whole is hamstrung in terms of its ability to bounce back quickly by its higher than average reliance on manufacturing and the fact that many of its key industries are less resilient to downturns.

However, who says we cannot change this or use it to our advantage? Once free of EU procurement rules, tenders for large-scale infrastructure work need not be decided purely on price and the desire to buy British can be made real.

Take our cities. Sheffield is an international leader on advanced manufacturing. Leeds is still the most important financial and legal hub outside of London, as well as being one of the nation’s leading cities on tech, a sector that Sheffield, York and Hull all have strong capabilities in.

These sectors of our economy will doubtless drag our region out of its current quagmire, provided of course that their benefits can be felt beyond the limits of the cities and into its towns and villages.

It is a tall order I know but what better opportunity for our four Local Enterprise Partnerships to prove their worth? It is a huge challenge for us all.

Thirdly, devolution.

Amid the Covid chaos we have rightly not given enough attention to the fact that, at long last, we are finally getting there when it comes to increased powers.

Sheffield City Region’s deal is fully unlocked. West Yorkshire’s deal is agreed with elections to take place in the spring. And, while there is still some work to be done, North Yorkshire’s potential now finally seems to have a pathway to being realised.

Once this happens the majority of our county will have greater control over its fortunes and recognised figureheads who can go to bat for our county. Fourthly, green energy.

Whether it is our own net zero target, President-elect Joe Biden’s pledge for a Green New Deal, we know green energy will be a big deal for our worldwide economy in the coming decades.

Again, Yorkshire’s unique geography and economy is well-placed to play a big role in this, with forecasts suggesting hundreds of thousands of jobs will be created by the green revolution. What better way to power our economic recovery than through this most sustainable of industries.

Lastly, and most importantly of all, our people.

Yorkshire is home to some of the most dynamic, forward thinking, courageous and warm-hearted entrepreneurs and business leaders in the world. They will innovate and create new ideas, areas of commerce and jobs because that is what they do.

If we rely on each other, and trust one another, we will be back better than before.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas to you and your families. Bless you.