Welcome to the third State of the City event held in Newcastle. Over the last year, through our Policy Cabinet meetings, we have heard about some of the major issues we face as a city. This event today is an opportunity to reflect on how we are doing as a city, to debate our big opportunities and challenges and to ensure that we make the most of the assets, talents and ambition that we, the leaders of this place gathered here today, have to offer.
This conversation comes at a time of immense difficulty for the city, and no doubt everyone in this room has been touched by the economic crisis the country has faced since 2008 – when Newcastle, as the home of the Northern Rock bank, found itself at the epicentre of a world financial meltdown. In the subsequent years businesses have seen a deep recession with slow signs of recovery. In the voluntary and community sector, despite talk of a big society, funding and resources have been squeezed. And many in the public sector recognise the new challenge of today, doing more with less.
