North East Mayor Kim McGuinness vows support for Sunderland Crown Works Studios plan - and pledges to bring the Metro to Washington

New North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has vowed to back Sunderland’s ambitious Crown Works Studio plan - and work to bring the Metro to Washington.

Ms McGuinness took control of the North East Combined Authority (NECA), which brings together representative from Sunderland, Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside, Northumberland and Durham councils, following her election earlier this month.

The Crown Works Studios project will see a joint venture between Cain International and entertainment company Fulwell73, the company behind The Kardashians, Friends: the Reunion, and Sunderland Til I Die, create a massive new movie and TV complex on the south side of the Wear near the Northern Spire bridge.

The move is expected to create 8,450 jobs across the North East over the next decade. 

Sunderland City Council and NECA were granted central government funding to support the project in March’s Budget.

Ms McGuinness confirmed work was under way to attract more investment.

“I know we will need investment into Crown Works Studios from the local area, as well as from Government and so we are working on that,” she said.

“The leaders of the local authorities make up the combined authority, along with the mayor, so I am one of eight leaders who make up that cabinet. Together we are working on a plan as to how to support Crown Works Studios.”

It was essential the benefit of the project was concentrated in the region, she added.

“Crucially, and I think this is a really import thing, that comes with the promise of eight-and-a-half thousand jobs and I think it is really incumbent upon us to make sure that those jobs are for people in this local area, that we are training people in the right skills so they will be able to work there, so that we are not bringing people from all around the country to work in Crown Works,” she said.

“We want those to be for local people, so there is also the training work that goes behind that to support Crown Works, to make it a success and to make it so that it is a benefit for the people of the region.

“This represents creating real opportunity here in a new industry that is going to be huge for this region - the biggest outside London, some of the biggest in the world.

“It is absolutely fantastic news and we need to make sure that it is delivered.”

She promised Sunderland would no kiss out on the opportunities the new combined authority would bring.

“The combined authority will take power from Government,” said Ms McGuinness.

“We are getting power from London, from central government that we have never had before and we are bringing it closer to the people of the region so people can have more of a say over our own future, so we can have a voice and take everything that is great about this region, as well as all the things we need, out there and shout about them so we can get more power, more money, more investment and also more visitors, more tourists and more into our economy.

“I’ve represented almost all of this region for quite long time now as Police and Crime Commissioner and it is fantastic to see Sunderland thriving, it really is.

“There is some incredible development in Sunderland and some real focus on Sunderland in the first phases of the combined authority.

“And a big and important pledge from me is that when we expand that Metro further, it will be into Washington.”