I was delighted to welcome the Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, Jake Berry MP, to the Hexham factory of EGGER UK, which is Northumberland’s largest private sector employer. The Minister toured the factory, which employs more than 700 people and is one of Europe’s most advanced wood-based panel production facilities, as part of his visit to the county to discuss the Borderlands Growth Deal. The Borderlands Growth Deal brings together the five cross-border local authorities, including Northumberland County Council, to promote the economic growth and competitiveness of the area around the Scottish-English border. EGGER is a very significant business for the Tyne Valley economy, and so I am very pleased that the Minister was able to see the factory and to see how forestry and wood processing can play a major part in the Borderlands Deal.
