The government wants growth. Will it grasp the open hand of the North to provide it? That was the challenge thrown down by the Convention of the North meeting in Preston last week.
Ministers have accelerated devolution which many feel is essential to economic growth in the North. We know where money is best spent. Some of us have reservations about the combined authority/elected mayor model as opposed to the NW, NE, Yorkshire and Humber regional structure swept away by the Tories in 2010, but that ship has sailed.
The whole of the North will eventually have combined authorities with elected mayors and unitary local councils. However it was ironic that Lancashire was the location for the Convention because it is still finding it difficult to reconcile differences with the dozen district councils.
The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner spoke at the Convention. She is also the Local Government Secretary and represents Ashton Under Lyne. This should mean the North gets a look in at the top table if she can win battles with the Treasury over the Green Book which sets the criteria for investment and up to now has favoured the more populous south. John Prescott held both posts and did his best against entrenched Whitehall opposition and Prime Ministerial indifference.
Rayner was left in no doubt that administrative reform was not enough and investment in the myriad assets of the North was needed.
She failed to give backing to Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham’s demand for an HS2 lite scheme to link Manchester and Birmingham, pointing to the upgraded link from Crewe northwards and backing for the West Yorkshire rapid transit system instead.
Rayner said mayors would be given more power over planning and housing to “beat the blockers” Homes England, the affordable housing organisation would be regionalised. Greater Manchester and the West Midlands now had control over £1bn spending.
Most northern mayors spoke at the Convention, although not Ben Houchen, the Tory mayor of Tees Valley. They all had different priorities, which some commentators feel weakens the northern message. Kim McGuinness (NE)transport, Steve Rotheram (Liverpool City Region) Mersey Barrier and Andy Burnham wants a new rail freight hub in St Halens moving it away from the soon to be redeveloped Manchester United area.
There was a time when the nuclear industry had an image problem and operated in the shadows. It is a vital part of the Northern economy and it was good to hear a keynote presentation from the UK’s only nuclear fuel producer, Westinghouse, based at Springfield near Preston.
The Vice Chancellor of York University urged the North to go big on an AI offer as that was what Oxford/Cambridge were going with their industrial partners.
The Convention identified its gamechangers, rail, clean energy, an AI cluster, ill health prevention and culture. The next year will see governance change in the unreformed parts of the North, but will investment lose out to the growing needs of defence?
