Scunthorpe Tomorrow

Several towns and cities have successfully mobilised civil society networks, including Grimsby (www.our-future.io/), Sheffield (Sheffield's Journey – New

Constellations) and Stoke-on-Trent (Home - Made in Stoke Community).

To this end, we are bringing together people from Scunthorpe and North Lincolnshire – both current residents and the diaspora – who love our area and care about its future.

Our objectives are to:

• Build connections and start a conversation about the opportunities and challenges facing our area

• Drive action through connecting local projects with people who can help

• Role model a different culture and mindset about what is possible when people work together.

We recently reflected on 4 themes which present both opportunities and challenges for our region:

• Levelling Up – North Lincolnshire has attracted significant central government funding e.g. through the Towns Fund, and is partnering with NE Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire on a County Deal for further devolved funding and powers, although there are challenges associated with inflation and the complex

local economic/political geography.

• Transition to Net Zero – the government has legislated to meet net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This is a particular challenge for the Humber region, the UK’s single biggest carbon emitting industrial cluster, but also provides significant opportunities to attract new private sector-led investment and jobs (e.g. the Humber Freeport, the Siemens development at Goole, the proposed Green Energy Park at Flixborough).

• Education and skills retention – our area has significant educational assets, including two high-performing FE colleges and the University Campus North Lincolnshire. However, North Lincolnshire lags behind the regional and national averages for skills attainment at all NVQ levels, resulting in skills gaps for local employers. Skills retention is also an issue.

• Civic pride – we reflected that, while most residents have an underlying pride in our area, too many of the stories told about our area slip into negative stereotypes or a sense that nothing can change. At the heart of a better future for Scunthorpe and other places like it, is changing the stories we tell ourselves.