Regional thinking wins praise Alison Thain
Mar 20 2010 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal
A SENIOR North East housing chief has praised regional efforts to create jobs as the Conservatives prepare for a massive quango shake-up.
Alison Thain, boss at social housing group Fabrick, has spoken of the need for a strong regional body to be maintained in the face of the looming cuts planned by both political parties.
Ms Thain said organisations such as Fabrick, which rents homes and builds affordable housing, would be lost without an overall body acting in the region’s interests.
She said: “There’s a strong feeling now in the region, overall, that what is good for Tyneside is good for Teesside and vice versa.
“That wasn’t always the case and we cannot afford to go back to those days.
“There’s a great quote from The Likely Lads where Terry is complaining about the Germans and others, and then he says that, come to think of it, I don’t really like the people at the end of our street either. And localism is like that, people like their own patch. That’s fine, we can say Teesside has a different culture and its own needs. But by looking at the a wider picture we can see how best to work together.”
Her comments come as The Journal continues to make its Case for the North East. The campaign has sought to preserve the region’s unique strengths and press on Government the need to allow the North East its own voice.
