Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask His Majesty's Government which department took the decision to partner with South Tees Development Corporation for development of the former Redcar Steelworks site and, in making that decision, which procedures set out in 'The Green Book: Central Government Guidance on Appraisal and Evaluation' were not followed; and why.

Further to the PNQ last week, the SSI steelworks in Redcar closed in September 2015, with the loss of more than 3100 jobs. The Government appointed Lord Heseltine to review how the economic fortunes of the area could be turned around, including through the redevelopment of the former SSI site. The Government accepted Lord Heseltine's recommendation in his report Tees Valley: Opportunity Unlimited that it should establish the first mayoral development corporation outside London, the South Tees Development Corporation (STDC).

In 2020, the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) submitted a full business case to Government. The business case was developed and then approved in line with Green Book principles. The funding is governed by a memorandum of understanding between Government and TVCA, including quarterly monitoring reports on spend, risks and delivery.