I didn’t grow up in the North East. I was raised in India, and moved to the UK to study at Northumbria and then Durham University. But when it came time to build a life and a business, I chose County Durham. I saw in this region a deep well of potential—in its people, its ideas, and its sense of community.
More than two decades later, I’m still convinced that the North East can lead a new era of growth for the UK. With GDP rising 0.7% in the first quarter of this year—its strongest performance in nearly three years—and renewed optimism around trade deals with partners like the US and India, there is genuine momentum. Our workforce is talented and resilient. We are well positioned to take the lead.
But potential is not enough. For too long, too many in our region have been left behind by national economic progress. Turning growth into opportunity will require us to start with something fundamental: improving the health and wellbeing of our people.
At Kromek, based at NETPark in Sedgefield, we design and manufacture technologies with global impact—devices that detect cancer, viruses, and radiation threats. We do all of this from the North East, working alongside innovators in health tech, clean energy, and engineering. Our region proves every day we can be leaders in innovation.
However, innovation alone can’t sustain growth. Not when the communities powering our economy face some of the UK’s deepest health challenges. According to a 2023 report from Health Equity North and the Point North Community Foundation, the North East has lower life expectancy than much of the country. Healthy life expectancy for men here is more than four years below the national average. Almost 39% of children grow up in poverty. In Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, nearly a quarter of working-age adults rely on Universal Credit. One in four adults lives with a limiting long-term illness.
A 2024 follow-up report, Targeting Health Inequalities, highlighted rising levels of mental health challenges and childhood obesity. These are not just social concerns. They are economic ones.
In my former role as chair of the Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria Board, I saw first hand how tightly health and economic outcomes are linked. Health inequalities in our region are estimated to cost the UK economy £4 billion a year in lost productivity. That is a staggering figure—and a preventable one.
Now, with a new North East mayor and a broader devolution deal, we have a chance to change course. Mayor Kim McGuinness has rightly put addressing child poverty at the centre of her agenda. This matters because poverty in early life often leads to poor health and missed opportunities later. If we are serious about building a thriving economy, we must treat health as one of the most powerful forms of investment.
We can already see what’s possible. NETPark has become a national hub of excellence thanks to its close ties with universities, business, and government. It’s creating real, high-value careers here in the North East. But growth like this is only sustainable if our workforce is healthy, skilled, and supported.
Equally important are the efforts of community organisations like the Community Foundations in our region. They’ve shown that modest, well-placed investment can rebuild confidence, foster resilience, and restore hope. When this kind of community support is matched with a long-term economic strategy, the results are transformative—not just for individuals, but for the region.
The North East deserves a future where prosperity is shared. Where young people don’t feel the need to leave to succeed. Where health isn’t dictated by your postcode. And where businesses thrive because of where they are, not despite it.
Economic growth and public health are not opposing goals—they are deeply intertwined. We cannot achieve one without the other. If we want to unlock the North East’s full potential, we must invest in both: creating decent, skilled, well-paid jobs, and building a society where everyone has the chance to live a healthy, fulfilling life.
That’s not just a moral imperative. It’s an economic one. Economic wellbeing and population health are not just interlinked—they are mutually reinforcing. A thriving economy creates the conditions for better health outcomes by providing secure jobs, stable incomes, and investment in public services. At the same time, a healthy population is the foundation on which long-term economic growth depends. Without good health, people can’t work, learn or contribute fully to their communities. Yet, we cannot expect health to improve in isolation. Addressing the deep-rooted inequalities in the North East demands economic growth that is inclusive, resilient, and rooted in opportunity for all. One cannot be achieved without the other. If we want to unlock the region’s full potential, we must build an economy that prioritises wellbeing—because only then can our people, and our economy, truly thrive.
