Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Sunderland's future - and SAFC's promotion prospects! - video Dailymotion

Sunderland Echo

Mr Reynolds, who was back home on Wearside for a North East Growth Summit organised by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, even found time for a pink slice.

Transcript

00:00Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is here at City Hall, what brings you to Sunderland

00:04today?

00:05Well I've got a number of events including the launch of our plan to make work pay which

00:10I've done in Bertley with the Cooperative Group. I've then been here at the North East

00:13Growth Summit talking about how the new government can be a partner to the brilliant local political

00:19and economic leadership we have in a city like this which is clearly doing so much but

00:23can I think do even more with that partner. And then I'll be going to Nissan, a hugely

00:28important business for the United Kingdom, talking about their plans for the future and

00:31again how the new government can support them.

00:33So with yourself and Bridget Phillips and we've got two Maccams round the cabinet table,

00:38what's that going to mean for Sunderland?

00:40Well I think it means first of all people who are over and or from places where we've

00:44got to see national policy work better, got to deliver for areas like this. I think a

00:48whole range of areas where it's what Bridget is doing in education or what I'm doing in

00:52business in the economy where you've got a set of policies like the industrial strategy,

00:55like the plan to make work pay, which are what places like this need. Attracting in

00:59more investment, driving up the quality of work, working in partnership with local areas

01:04and local leaders. I want this government to be successful but to be successful it's

01:09got to work for places like Sunderland.

01:10And I know you're off to Nissan now, it's fantastic for the city to have the plant here

01:14but I know there's been a lot of concern that we have all our economic eggs in one basket.

01:18What can we do to diversify things?

01:20Well I mean Nissan is itself, was a story of diversification from some of the employment

01:25bases of the past. It is a world class, renowned facility and of course when you've got something

01:30of that quality, not every city can have something like that. So of course Sunderland is well

01:34known for that. But of course there are so many other things here in services, financial

01:38services, in housing, there's a lot of small businesses in this area. I see all these things

01:43as being mutually supporting of one another and I think continuing that diversification,

01:48that success whilst having things that are known the world over is absolutely fantastic

01:52for the city.

01:53And how important do you think Crown Works is going to be as part of that?

01:56I'm really excited, really excited by what I have seen. I know the people involved in

02:00it, they've also got a passion for the local area as well. But I think if Crown Works is

02:05delivered on the scale that we're talking about, it's going to be like another Nissan,

02:09this time for the creative industries and to see success like that and for that to be

02:13recognised the world over, we've all got to be excited by that.

02:16And one final question, the big concern for everybody obviously in Sunderland, are we

02:20going up this season?

02:21Well, the season has gone better than I expected so far, I'll say that. And I'll tell you what,

02:25I love seeing a young team, young players from the academy and the players we've brought

02:29in, playing in this way. For a long time I couldn't have said I'm optimistic for Sunderland

02:34and the Labour Party and the country at the same time, but I certainly am on all three

02:37and I'm really excited by how things are going.

02:42How is it?

02:43Fantastic. Proper taste of home. I'm sure low calorie as well, just diet compliant at

02:48the same time.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds on Sunderland's future - and SAFC's promotion prospects!

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