Houchen pushes through Development Corporation appointments
Having previously sat as chair of all three Tees Valley development companies, the Mayor has, following guidance from MHCLG, named his successors in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, and South Tees.
Focusing on regeneration efforts across their respective areas, Mark Robinson will now head up Hartlepool Development Corporation, Tony Parkinson will take the reins at Middlebrough Development Corporation, and David Smith will become chair of South Tees Development Corporation.
The men will be formally appointed at the Tees Valley Combined Authority’s AGM on Friday, following a recruitment process that launched in May.
Hartlepool-native Robinson is also senior consultant at NewRiver, a real estate investment trust, who has previously chaired the UK’s High Streets Task Force.
Parkinson was formerly chief executive of Middlesbrough Council, a role he held for six years until March 2023, having served 33 years in local government. He currently works as business development manager at developer Jomast.
Smith, meanwhile, was previously the chief executive of the Energy Networks Association, and so will be familiar with Teesworks in South Tees.
Previously, appointments were proposed to the cabinet to approve, including Mayor Houchen’s nomination of himself for all three roles.
However, Mayor Houchen will also put forward amendments to the constitution at the upcoming meeting, which will allow him to name his successors.
The Hartlepool and Middlesbrough Development Corporations were created to push town centre regeneration ambitions and focus on bringing businesses and homes back into urban centres, while the South Tees branch focuses on the former Redcar steelworks site, Teesworks.
This 4,500-acre site is a hub for the clean energy industry, with projects such as SeAH Wind’s offshore wind monopile facility and the BP-led Net Zero Teesside examples of the private sector investment in the site.
The new chairs will take on the role of leader for their respective corporation, with the aim of encouraging strong public-private partnerships.
Development Corporation chairs serve a four-year term, with a salary of £15,000 per year.
Hartlepool Borough Council leader, cllr Brenda Harrison; Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke; and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council leader, cllr Alec Brown, have separately been appointed as vice-chairs of the boards in their respective boroughs.
Mayor Houchen will no longer sit on the three boards, as advised by guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government, following a review of Mayoral Development Corporations.
Speaking about his appointment, Robinson said: “As a Hartlepudlian, it is the honour of my life to share that I have been appointed by Ben Houchen and his team to chair the Hartlepool Development Corporation.
“In recent years, I have had the privilege of getting to know many of Teeside’s local leaders, and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with some of the most place passionate people in the UK.
“There is already so much excellent work underway—from the emerging screen industries production village to the £120 million housing venture with local developer Jomast. Middleton Grange presents both a challenge and a significant opportunity, and I am confident the town centre will begin to thrive as we attract high-quality jobs to the Queens Meadow and Oaksway employment zones.”
Mayor Houchen said: “Our region is leading the UK in developing the world-class regeneration projects that are delivering highly skilled, well-paid jobs – and our Development Corporations are at the very heart of this.
“Ensuring we have the best people to lead our Development Corporations to the next level is essential. These three individuals are outstanding professionals with the drive, huge experience and extensive local knowledge to supercharge our ambitions.”
