Business leaders outline five-point plan to boost North at next general election
The North should be at the heart of political parties’ election manifestos, regional business chiefs urge today.
Leaders gathering in Bradford for the annual Great Northern Summit demanded a “new deal” to fire-up growth, boost transport links and improve wages.
The Northern Powerhouse Partnership think tank outlined a five-point plan which it wants the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems to adopt in the run-up to the next general election, widely expected next year.
It includes helping the region “power the net zero transition” by building small modular reactors; giving the North the same research and development cash as the “Golden Triangle” of London, Oxford and Cambridge; building the Northern Powerhouse Rail project, dubbed HS3; closing the “education disadvantage gap”; and handing mayors more powers to boost training and skills.
Former Treasury Minister Lord Jim O’Neill, who chairs the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “The Northern Powerhouse as an economic project needs to last far beyond any one election cycle and we need genuine cross-party support to make that happen.
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“We need a new deal that goes beyond the usual tinkering and completely rewires the system, doubling down on devolution and rethinking our fiscal rules to restore some ambition to our approach to investment.
“Investors around the world have now woken up to the massive economic opportunity the North of England represents, but the private sector needs long-term certainty from government that it is ready to deliver on transport, education, skills, innovation and net-zero.
“The North will be a key battleground at the next election and committing to this plan will be vital for political as well as economic success.”
Hailing the North’s “vast” potential, Greater Manchester Metro Mayor Andy Burnham said: “With powers and resources, mayors and leaders across the North have been able to make better decisions that help grow our economies and benefit our people and UK plc.
“Our city-regions are at the forefront of driving innovation, creating integrated transport networks that are more affordable and better for local people, and building technical education city-regions that meet the needs of our people and economy.
“But now is the time to go further.
“We need to make sure that the next general election is a moment where all parties acknowledge the need to get more powers and resources out of Westminster and into the hands of mayors and leaders who can tackle the challenges that have held the North back for too long.”
The Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s five-point plan calling for a New Deal for the North includes:
Power the net zero transition: unlock private investment for a fleet of small modular reactors , carbon capture and storage and wider renewables as well as Northern-made heat pumps and home insulation.
Drive innovation: increase the North’s share of public investment in research and development funding to bring it in line with the Golden Triangle (Oxford, Cambridge and London) in the next decade - without reducing spending in the South East.
Transform transport connectivity: build Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2, while improving intra-city transport links, to give private investment the certainty it needs to deliver homes and jobs.
Close the disadvantage gap: work with schools, charities and agencies to end the education disadvantage gap in the next decade through targeted interventions in persistently disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
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Unlock apprenticeships and training opportunities: transform the skills system and encourage businesses to invest in training by devolving more responsibility to metro mayors and allowing more flexibility in the apprenticeship levy.
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