City Council Leader Michael Mordey: Why we want residents to help shape our city’s plans…

As someone born and raised in Hendon, I certainly can’t recall a time when we had so much happening around us.

A multi-million-pound investment by Nissan and Envision will see thousands more jobs created in the automotive industry, while reinforcing our position as a world-leading electric vehicle hub.

The planned Crown Works Studios could see Pallion become a global TV and film production hub.

Riverside Sunderland has been a long time in the making, but what is one of the most ambitious city centre regeneration projects anywhere in the UK is now gathering momentum and the results are stunning – a transformed cityscape packed with places, and opportunities, for our people.

Sheepfolds Stables has delivered a venue of magnificent quality for our residents to enjoy. City Hall, The Beam and The Yard have brought new jobs to the city centre and Maker & Faber will open shortly, creating even more employment opportunities this year.

Work is underway on the new Eye Hospital, Housing Innovation & Construction Skills Academy (HICSA), two new housing developments, the National Esports Arena and Culture House at Keel Square, which will provide a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose cultural venue for people of all ages.

New public realm areas and parks – including Riverside Park – will see the river under the Wearmouth Bridge brought back into use. Just like we have changed the seafront, which has reinvented itself over recent years and is now one of our city’s most proud assets, attracting people from across the North East and beyond.

We’re hopeful that Houghton high street will follow that trend too, with the redevelopment of the former Houghton Colliery site and new public artwork helping breathe new life into the area.

Just like the revamped Washington Arts Centre has seen a host of stunning displays and performances take place over the past 12 months, with plenty more in store for the year ahead.

And who can forget the Fire Station and Auditorium. The Music Against Child Poverty event last month really showed the best side of Sunderland, particularly after the events in the Summer, while also demonstrating to the world why Sunderland is a Music City.

All of these developments however, as well as the countless others underway or in the pipeline, are being delivered with one goal in mind… to better the lives of you, our residents.

Speaking to residents on doorsteps, at events or in meetings, we know you share the immense pride we have in our city, and we know you are excited about all of the huge changes we’re seeing around us.

We also know you want a City Council which works for you, and that is what we want, too. After all, you elect us to work for you, so it’s only right that it is your voice that guides us.

This is why we’re engaging with community groups to help us name the new Wear Footbridge.

It’s why we launched the resident survey, to give residents a say on the services we provide as a Council.

It’s why we’re working with community groups and those working directly with our young people to develop a clear framework to help tackle child poverty.

It’s why we’ve set up multi-agency partnership projects such as SARA in Southwick and HALO in Hetton, to help ease concerns aired by residents around anti-social behaviour.

And it’s why we’ve been liaising with local schools to arrange tree planting sessions, design local play parks and to shape our city-wide low carbon strategy.

By collating the views of people from all generations, from Hetton to Hendon and the city centre to Concord, we are ensuring we continue to deepen our understanding of what is important to you – the people living and working in the city.

Not only to shape our development plans, but also so we can hold more open and honest conversations with you on the things that matter most, so that we deliver the best possible service to you, our residents.

We are not shying away from the fact that there will be challenges along the way. In fact, I spoke candidly to this very newspaper last month about the tough decisions we’ll have to make over the next 12 months to balance the council’s budget, and I stand by that.

Councils up and down the country are all facing the same situation, so we’re not alone in this, but I firmly believe the decisions we make should work – and should be shaped – by you, our residents.

Only by working together can we ensure Sunderland remains a city we can all be proud to call home, which is why we are committed to bringing you on this journey with us.

Together, we can ensure Sunderland continues to be the best possible place to live, work and play, in 2025 and beyond…