A key interim appointment has been made to complete the Humber Freeport set-up.
Simon Green, deputy chief executive of North Lincolnshire Council, will navigate the final stages of the launch, establishing the company that will control it while ensuring conditions the government has set out for final approval are met.
David Gwynne, who had been the lead officer through the process as bid director, is moving on to other projects.
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Mr Green has been seconded to the role of interim chief executive, while retaining his role at the South Bank authority. It is likely to last through the summer as the recruitment process for a permanent CEO is underway.
Simon Bird, ABP’s director on the Humber, who has chaired the steering group having championed the estuary’s proposal and galvanised support, said: “I would like to thank David Gwynne for the professional, dedicated and vital role he has played in the Humber Freeport project.
“His work has been instrumental in the successful bidding process. As an ex-ABP employee, we brought David into the freeport as part of ABP’s leadership role in the partnership and that leadership helped to achieve officially the country’s best freeport bid.
“There are exciting times ahead as the freeport company is established and I am delighted that Simon Green has agreed to lead these final stages of inception. Simon brings with him a wealth of experience, which will be hugely helpful in ensuring that the freeport is ready to do the exciting work of bringing new jobs and investment to the region.”
Announced as one of eight freeport status locations in the 2021 Budget, the Government confirmed the final business case had conditional approval last month, days after a late push in Westminster to underline the potential. Embracing all local authority areas around the Humber, a comprehensive package of measures will be on offer to investors, including tax reliefs, customs incentives, business rates retention, planning, regeneration, innovation and trade and investment support.
Mr Green said: “I welcome the opportunity to take the company through to the next stages in establishing what will be a powerful economic catalyst for the Humber. Once fully trading, investment and jobs will flow and reinforce the Humber’s position as the pre-eminent trading and energy cluster in north west Europe.”
The Humber handles 17 per cent of the nation's trade and is already the UK's busiest ports complex. A total of 7,000 additional jobs have been eyed by Mr Bird and the bid team as port-centric benefits are embraced by manufacturers, with offshore wind, wider renewables and industrial decarbonisation major strands.
North East Lincolnshire Council is the accountable body.
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