Manchester’s mayoral election “key moment” for Northern Powerhouse, says James Wharton MP

The election of a new Manchester mayor in 2017 will form a “key moment” for the Northern Powerhouse as the city selects a figurehead to drive its devolution agenda, according to James Wharton MP.

Addressing an audience at Alliance Manchester Business School as part of the organisation’s latest Vital Topics lecture, the Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse said electing a mayor is an essential part of ensuring the wider accountability of the devolution drive.

He said: “The mayor will also be an important figurehead. If I want to open a business in Manchester then I need to know who to speak to.

“The mayoral model is also recognised across the world as a vehicle for engaging with government.”

With other Northern cities like Liverpool and Sheffield signing up for devolution, Mr Wharton said it is “an ever progressing and evolving process”.

But Manchester, he said, is ahead of the game, adding: “This is an exciting opportunity partly because it is an organic process.

“It is not about me coming with an identikit stamp and saying this is what devolution should look like.

“This could be transformational but will only work if driven by those affected. This is ours to own and make a success.”

Speaking further, Mr Wharton said devolution’s primary focus must be boosting economic growth, citing the fact that for more than a generation, the North had underperformed in comparison to the rest of the country.

Mr Wharton continued: “If the Northern Powerhouse grows at just the average rate of the wider economy it will add £40bn a year. The key way to unlock the potential of this region is to increase economic growth.”

A supporter of the Leave campaign in the upcoming EU Referendum, Mr Wharton said the government’s Northern Powerhouse agenda would continue regardless of the outcome.