Hull's economic revival will address '˜low wage, high welfare' billing, council leader says

Hundreds of millions of pounds is being plunged into the city by employers to create high-skilled jobs, while Hull’s 2017 Capital of Culture status will provide fresh economic impetus next year, Mr Brady insisted.

According to a report published by the Centre for Cities think-tank on Monday, the average weekly wage in Hull is £376 and the Government spends £3,769 per person on state support, leaving Hull at the summit of a league table charting “low wage, high welfare” cities.

But Hull City Council’s leader was keen to cut through the negative connotations of such a stark assessment, saying the city’s economy was improving and that progress would accelerate.

Councillor Brady said: “The city is currently experiencing the highest level of investment in the producer economy of any comparable city in the UK, with £800m in the process of being delivered with internationally significant investment projects, ultimately creating skills based, well rewarded jobs.

“This will not only provide opportunities for individuals to earn higher salaries through their individual efforts, but will also see these projects deliver greater wealth directly into the local economy.”

The investment is the result of the Council’s 10-year City Plan, devised and delivered with a range of partners, which aims to regenerate the city and create 7,500 jobs by 2023.

Vivergo’s £350m bioethanol production plant recently opened and the development of the £310m Siemens Green Port Hull scheme, to establish the areas as a world-class centre for renewable energy, is due to be completed in September.

Other promised investment includes £150m to construct Spencers Green Energy Works and another £100m from RB (Reckitt Benckiser) to build a state-of-the-art research and development centre.

Coun Brady said: “One of the city’s accolades is its UK City of Culture 2017 status, together with the combined Siemens and ABP investment for wind turbine production and installation facilities on Alexandra Dock, which will not only provide a huge boost to the UK’s offshore wind industry but create up to 1,000 high-quality jobs directly for the region’s local workforce. Others, including RB, Spencers and the University are also investing heavily in our city.”

Coun Brady also highlighted a separate Centre for Cities report, published last month, which named Hull as the largest single contributor for employment, manufacturing and knowledge-based jobs within the Humber economy.

Since Hull’s City Plan started in 2013, the employment rate has increased to 64.2 per cent, a rise of 2.5 per cent; the number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance has fallen to a record low and Total Gross Value Added per head of population has increased by £542, the City Council said.

The Council also confirmed yesterday that it had now secured approval to carry out a major road improvement plan. The work will see a notorious ‘pinch point’ in Anlaby Road near Hull Royal Infirmary remodelled, with two lanes added in each direction, after an agreement was reached to buy land from the hospital.