Down to Business

Pending the receipt of my next leaflet – a very colourful one this time – I decided to talk to some of the businesses in the area, focusing on Belford first, to see what issues they had.

There was one common theme - transport infrastructure – and then some other particular concerns.

Dualling the A1 was seen as important to improve the links of this area between Scotland and Newcastle, to improve the experience of visitors and increase its attractiveness to new residents. Similarly, re-opening Belford station was seen as a way of getting new blood and giving more employment choices. The campaign to dual the A1 is something that the Conservative Anne-Marie brought new life to and some progress is being made. I said that I thought it would happen in my lifetime – but then I’m an optimist; one person said that as a cynic they’d rather be pleasantly surprised if something happened rather than disappointed when it didn’t. Re-opening the station has been a long term effort driven by the illogicality of trains stopping and starting at Chathill but actually coming up to Belford to turn round, arriving and leaving empty. Some money has been found. I hope it happens even if it’s just the romantic in me remembering coming back from Edinburgh to London after my cousins wedding and seeing friends get off to a snow covered car in a snow covered car park after a snow covered but very enjoyable wedding.

Other topics raised were the wish to see more life in the village, the need to train and support younger people, the need for better footpaths, concern over affordable housing to attract people for jobs that are there as well as some specific to particular industries.

 

I got a fresh perspective on wind farms: their construction had brought a lot of activity and investment into the area so although they made no economic sense at a national level they had done so locally.

Generally, businesses had adapted to the downturn in the economy and weren’t doing too badly. But more encouragement and support, for example in training, would be helpful.

 

It was an interesting exercise to listen to those on the front line of the economy; there weren’t too many direct messages for the Council or a potential Councillor. Except that it's good to listen.