Major business leaders urge Metro Mayor candidates to unite behind Humber’s economic future

A coalition of business leaders from across the Humber Estuary has written to candidates standing for election as Metro Mayor for Hull & East Yorkshire and Greater Lincolnshire, calling for a coordinated approach to attracting investment and driving economic growth in the region.

The contents of the letter outlines the Humber’s economic significance and the challenges it faces. The region plays a critical role in the UK’s renewable energy transition, and the letter warns that without stronger coordination and advocacy, it may struggle to secure government support and investment compared to other industrial clusters.

It is signed by key business figures from the region, including:

• Richard Gwilliam, Chair of the Humber Energy Board
• Professor Dave Petley, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull
• Peter Stephenson, Executive Chair of Able
• Andrew Dawes, Regional Director for the Humber, Association of British Ports
• Suzanne Lowe, Vice President, Air Products Plc
• Nikki West, SVP HR for Corporate Services and Head of Global Talent, Smith-Nephew

They advocate for the creation of a Humber Estuary Growth Zone to capitalise on the Humber Freeport’s potential and present a unified proposition to global investors. They also propose establishing an Invest Humber Estuary body to oversee infrastructure improvements and strengthen the skills pipeline for industries such as offshore wind, carbon capture, and advanced manufacturing. Candidates for Metro Mayor are being urged to include commitments to these initiatives in their election manifestos.

The letter also raises concerns about the economic risks facing the region, including uncertainty around the future of British Steel’s Scunthorpe operations, which could result in significant job losses. Conversely, a strategic and unified approach to investment could create tens of thousands of jobs and unlock up to £15 billion in private sector funding for decarbonisation efforts.

While recent government announcements have prioritised investment in other industrial clusters, the Humber was not mentioned in the Chancellor’s growth speech. Business leaders caution that without action ahead of this summer’s Comprehensive Spending Review, private sector interest in industrial decarbonisation may decline, making government backing even more critical.

The letter concludes:

“We are remarkable and it is our time to be revolutionary. Keeping the lights on for the nation as we have for decades. Making real the potential of Immingham and Grimsby. Making real the potential of Hull. Making real the potential of Goole. Making real the potential of Scunthorpe. Disagree disagreeably about everything else, but this promise for the Humber is one we can’t afford you not to make.”

Full letter:

Dear candidate,

We write to you as some of the leading employers from both Yorkshire, and from Lincolnshire. From the North Bank, and from the South Bank. From both sides of the estuary we share – the Humber.  

We are wealth creators – and even more importantly, job creators. The government has set a Growth Mission for the country – and it is one which we all believe matters more here, more than anywhere else in the country. We have a steel works on the brink of closing its blast furnaces – with thousands of jobs in the balance and a new era of an electric arc furnace in our grasp. We have the chance to create tens of thousands more jobs in the energy sector, supporting the economy of the wider North of England, delivering 28GW of offshore wind renewable energy and £15bn of private sector investment for Carbon Capture and Storage and hydrogen alone to decarbonise our industry. This will keep industry thriving and growing in the Humber and replace any job losses from the steel works.

What unites us is our commitment to improving the lives of people in some of the country’s most deprived communities—individuals with remarkable potential and a drive to succeed. If successful, you will take on a significant and vital role—one that, unlike other Combined Authority areas, carries an added responsibility. You will need to champion what is best for our Estuary, a shared opportunity that demands true collaboration with a counterpart who may be familiar or entirely new to you, and whose identity you cannot predict in advance.

We stand ready to support you and ask that you commit to backing the Humber Estuary, ensuring it gets the coordinated focus it needs. This, in turn, will give you more time and equivalent resources to invest in places like Beverley or Lincoln—equally important but distinct, requiring separate, tailored plans to deliver effectively as Mayor.

The Energy Estuary needs a Humber Estuary Growth Zone, maximising the potential of the Freeport and aligning with other development sites from both sides of this Estuary. We need one front door when investors from around the world come knocking. We need the port and land infrastructure planned and delivered, so ambitious local businesses can join with inward investors and get on with the job at hand. We need to have the right skills when we need them, and innovation to support the growth here, everything from advanced manufacturing railway rolling stock, to offshore wind turbine installation and servicing.

As the private sector, we must play our part. That’s why we support Invest Humber Estuary—to unite the next Mayor, regardless of who wins, with both the private and public sectors. We urge you to do the same in your manifestos. Our region has lagged behind smaller, less economically significant areas simply because we haven’t had the right institutions to match our potential and build on our strong foundations. This has let our people down.

We are remarkable and it is our time to be revolutionary. Keeping the lights on for the nation as we have for decades. Making real the potential of Immingham and Grimsby. Making real the potential of Hull. Making real the potential of Goole. Making real the potential of Scunthorpe. Disagree disagreeably about everything else, but this promise for the Humber is one we can’t afford you not to make.

Yours sincerely,

Signatories include:

Richard Gwilliam UK BECCS Programme Director, Drax Group Plc & Chair, Humber Energy Board

Peter Stephenson Executive Chairman, Able UK Ltd

Dave Petley Vice Chancellor, University of Hull

Ian Aldous Director UK North, Mace Group

Paul Fursey Lead Executive UK, General Manager Humber Refinery, Phillips 66

Richard Jones Northern Cities Executive, Arcadis

Suzanne Lowe Vice President, Air Products Plc

Nikki West SVP HR for Corporate Services and Head of Global Talent, Smith-Nephew