Wind of change

FOR too many years, East Yorkshire was known for little more than ports, poverty and poetry. This was an unfair characterisation but it is beyond doubt that its regeneration was only partially complete when the axe came down on public spending last year. As such, it is heartening to see jobs being created en masse in Hull again.

The commitment by Siemens to create about 800 posts at a turbine production centre from 2014 is one fulfilment of David Cameron’s vision of a private sector-led recovery. There is still a long way to go to ensure the coalition’s austerity regime does not drag Britain back into recession but this development presents the chance of a fresh start for Hull.

It is exactly this type of high-end production which can help Yorkshire avoid another economic slump. As the growth in the nuclear supply chain industry in Sheffield and Rotherham shows, advanced manufacturing can provide an economic fillip for a community while creating jobs for people locally. Now Hull’s city fathers must work with the private sector to turn into reality the dream of 10,000 new jobs.