Leadership blog - 03.12.18

In a week where Brexit is dominating the headlines I think a lot of people are feeling unsettled about the future on a number of counts.

I'm no exception when it comes to thinking about what it will be like to be a UK citizen and what no longer being a member of the European Union will mean for our families and households, education and jobs and the cost of living.

As Leader of the Council, I also spend a lot of time thinking about the impacts on the city, on our people and on our economy and what the council can do to seize any opportunities that Brexit might bring as well as mitigate for the inevitable challenges. 

What I do know is that Sunderland was one of the very few places to buck the trend in the wake of the global economic crisis a decade ago - the impacts of which we all still continue to feel - and I'm confident that we will show the same resilience and innovation, with continued investment and regeneration, following our departure from the EU.

What I think we all struggle with however, is that whether you voted to remain or leave, nobody voted to be worse off and sadly the Government has negotiated a deal where we will all be worse off. 

This is unacceptable to everyone in Sunderland and regardless of what happens in December as the Prime Minister struggles to get the deal through Parliament, as I've said above, the city council will do everything it can to look out for residents and to pressurise Government to do the right thing for its citizens.

Cllr Graeme Miller
Leader