North West views: Dreamr’s Mylo Kaye on the Northern Powerhouse

With the government’s vision of creating a Northern Powerhouse commanding the attention of the North West business community, particularly in the wake of the UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference & Exhibition, at Bdaily we’ve decided to run a new series of interviews to establish just what the region’s business leaders think of the plans.

Is the North West set for an overhaul in the coming years - one to turn the region into a true example of economic empowerment through business growth, job creation and prosperity?

Today we caught up with Mylo Kaye, co-founder of Manchester-based app development firm Dreamr.

What does the Northern Powerhouse mean to you?

For me and my company, Dreamr, the Northern Powerhouse means a connected future to talent and potential new business that once existed only in London. International clients are now considering Manchester, Liverpool as possible places to choose companies like mine to help them with their campaigns.

Are there signs of the Northern Powerhouse starting to bear fruit in the region?

The new St John’s Quarter on the old Granada Studios site is a £1bn development in the heart of Manchester City Centre. The local council has managed to secure £32m from multiple non-public sources, a testament that Allied London and the council have the backing to develop the site even without George Osborne’s help.

Has the government done enough to convince you of its commitment to Osborne’s vision?

In Manchester it is evident that progress and investment are rife, more is needed to be done in other cities such as Sheffield and Newcastle. The government need to promote the significant progress made already as a whole too, in last year’s Beyond the City report employment grew in Manchester and Liverpool, this growth will surpass Paris and Berlin in the next five years.

Transport improvement is intrinsic to the Northern Powerhouse. Do you believe that spending billions on infrastructure will improve Northern productivity?

The Northern Powerhouse would not be the same without the billions being spent on improving transport links between the cities of the North and London. The investment is not just reducing traveling times, but also, a massive amount of money is needed in developing stations, upgrading trains and reducing overcrowding at peak times.

These improvements will enable greater collaborative partnerships with neighboring companies but would mean companies like mine could attract talent from further afield such as Liverpool.

Are there any other areas which you believe money should be spent on, ahead of transport?

I think it all starts with transport, we need to get that right first. There are lots of areas that money could be spent, but it all comes down to getting people from A to B before anything else.

While Manchester is a key city in the government’s vision, do you think enough is being done to cater for other important North West towns and cities?

No. Liverpool and Manchester are being treated as ‘flagship’ cities, and it’s already clear that Manchester is receiving tremendous attention regarding investment and property development. The other cities in Osborne’s plan need our help to, only then can it be called a Northern Powerhouse.

For all our latest Northern Powerhouse news and views, click here. Share your views and get involved with our latest interview series by contacting North West editor Richard at richard.bell@bdaily.co.uk.