Council offices are usually situated within town halls or similar meeting spaces with adequate conference rooms and microphones so all members are heard equally. Why is the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) such an outlier?
Be still like a mountain, and flow like a great river – Lao Tzu
The TVCA was formed in April 2016. The first combined authority in the country. It will be its ten year anniversary next year. Let’s take a look at the current format of the oldest combined authority in the country. It should be a tight ship by now.
Originally its offices were located at Cavendish House in Stockton-on-Tees as shown below. Alongside is a satellite image of the busy area surrounding the office. Plenty of food outlets are located here, as it’s next to Stockton town centre. Council workers could enjoy a local feast and a stroll along the River Tees on their lunch break and maybe even spot a seal or two hunting for fish at the Tees Barrage just a short walk away. What a great way to manage the toll of office life.
Shipshape
Taking a look at the combined authorities that surround the Tees Valley, they are of a similar set up. Plenty of access by public transport should members of the public wish to attend a meeting. Situated within reach of plenty of local amenities nearby and green space access for your daily fresh air after being stuck at a desk.
All work and no play
Google street view doesn’t have access to the entrance of the TVCA council offices, so good luck finding it as a member of the public. There are absolutely no local amenities nearby for staff, nor are there any green spaces. Public transport is also intermittent, and we aren’t particularly sure how you would get to your job here if you don’t drive. There isn’t car parking space allocated to council staff at the airport but there is a separate car park next to the TVCA office on the east of the main airport building, so the TVCA staffers don’t have to mix with the public who use the airport unless they fancy an expensive lunch from the cafe. You can also use this car park if you attend a meeting as a member of the public, are a councillor or independent member. Before you leave the building at the end of the meeting, the reception staff will provide you with a code word so that you can exit the car park without being charged a fee.
Barriers to opportunity
Speaking of barriers, there is an hourly bus between Stockton and Darlington which calls at the airport. The journey from Stockton (its neighbouring local authority) to the airport takes 15 minutes by car but 50 minutes by bus. It involves a diversion along Yarm High Street and the buses are frequently delayed by this and by the level crossing on Durham Lane. At the approach to the airport terminal, the bus has to stop at a barrier.
They shall not pass
The bus driver contacts airport security personnel via an intercom to ask them to raise the barrier. However, if there are no security staff available, which frequently happens, the bus cannot pass the barrier. Any passengers to or from the airport must board or alight the bus at the barrier, then the bus reverses and continues its journey. There is no pedestrian access through the barrier, so you have to squeeze between the barrier and the fence to get to the airport terminal. This is completely inaccessible to wheelchair users and is against the law.
Let the train take the strain
There is a half-hourly train service between Middlesbrough and Darlington which calls at Dinsdale, the nearest railway station to the airport. It is then a 40 minute walk from Dinsdale to the airport but parts of the walking route are not safe for pedestrians and are also completely inaccessible to wheelchair users. Dinsdale station doesn’t have a taxi rank, so you’ll need to book one in advance of your journey.
A permanent temporary solution
So, what happened in 2021 for the TVCA, now led by Conservative Mayor Lord Ben Houchen, to announce the movement of its base operations to an airport? A TVCA press release stated in October 2021:
“Tees Valley Combined Authority, currently based at Cavendish House in Stockton, will temporarily move into the new office space next year saving the authority thousands of pounds, with a view to permanently relocating to Darlington to join Government’s departments, including the Treasury, that are moving senior civil servants to the Darlington Economic Campus.”
The original plan was to move into Teesside Airport temporarily to save money and then relocate to the Darlington Economic Campus. The treasury actually opened its doors at Feetham House at the Darlington Economic Campus in June 2022. Getting on to nearly three years later and the TVCA doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. What’s the hold up?
Stop and search
If you do eventually manage to locate the front door to the council offices to access a public meeting you will be met with security, who curiously don’t actually wear identifiable uniforms nor wear SIA badges. Effective security is essential at an airport, but the TVCA office is not part of Teesside Airport security zone. Regardless, it is definitely not the most welcoming of first impressions. You will then have to sign in, not everyone does this apparently, fire safety anyone? You may also have your bag searched.
We can’t hear you
Now you can get comfy in your chair, behind a barrier because you need a physical representation that you are indeed a pleb, and as the microphones gather feedback from the airport control tower you may also be unfortunate enough to attend a meeting during a NATO training exercise, so you’ll also be disturbed by various fighter jets fly overhead. You can now enjoy barely hearing a word that is said. Don’t believe it? Here’s the proof:
Ben Houchen saying something as a fighter jet flies overhead
The TVCA staff are working under these conditions for a full day. This leads us to believe that patience must be a virtue in those offices.
Arrested development
The TVCA also oversees three Mayoral Development Corporations (MDC). Yes, you did read that correctly. Someone in Whitehall, *cough* Gove *cough*, gave the people who can’t control microphones the powers to oversee three MDC’s. They are the South Tees Development Corporation (STDC), Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC) and the Hartlepool Development Corporation (HDC).
Climb every mountain
How can you access these meetings? With a lot of faffing about. The STDC is located at Teesworks and the Teesworks Skills Academy used to be the meeting place of choice. Public transport options to get to the academy are limited (I’m sensing a theme here). The nearest bus stop is half a mile away on Bolcklow Road in Grangetown. The closest railway station, South Bank, is a 25-minute walk away. However, one of the platforms at this station has been closed for safety reasons since October 2024 and according to a recent statement from a Northern Rail spokesman, it won’t reopen until June 2025. A rail replacement bus will remain in place until then. This service uses a mini-bus with no access for wheelchair users. Wheelchair users will be offered the use of a wheelchair accessible taxi. If one is available. They are few and far between so you may not make the meeting on time, or at all.
Promises promises
Don’t worry though, back during Ben Houchen’s re-election campaign he promised £40mn to completely refurbish South Bank station. Unfortunately, since then at a recent TVCA cabinet meeting he told members that the station was operated by Redcar and Cleveland council and had nothing to do with the TVCA.
Which way is up?
Recently, the STDC have decided to start holding meetings at Teesside Airport. So, good luck figuring out which meeting is where. It could be Redcar, it could be Darlington. The same goes for the MDC. The meetings were held at Middlesbrough town hall. Makes sense, it’s within the development zone and is a council building. Not anymore. Where are MDC meetings held now? You guessed it, Teesside Airport. The HDC? These meetings are located at the municipal buildings in Hartlepool and have remained so. Unfortunately the acoustics in the meeting rooms are poor due to loud air-conditioning units. Also, attendees can find themselves locked in the building at the end of the meeting if there are no Hartlepool council staff on hand. How long until these meetings are also shifted to Teesside Airport?
Six degrees of separation
A report into the TVCA and STDC commissioned by the then Department of Levelling Up and Communities entitled the Tees Valley Review recommended that, ‘TVCA and STDC agree a protocol and code of conduct for shared statutory officers to ensure the boundaries between the two organisations are maintained, that advice is given in the best interests of the specific organisation, and that any and all communication is clear in terms of the organisation being represented.’.
Lessons learned?
We aren’t sure that having all staff located in one building showcases these boundaries and the fact that this has happened after the review’s recommendation may just be proof that the TVCA aren’t taking those 28 recommendations seriously. We’ll leave you to decide on that one.
Thank you to Ray Casey for contributing to this article.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
