Member Article

BID chiefs call on new Government to save the Northern Powerhouse

New PM Theresa May’s Cabinet cull coupled with uncertainty shrouding the future of the UK economy following Brexit, Northern business leaders are calling on the government to maintain its commitment to the Northern Powerhouse initiative.

Since the EU Referendum result and David Cameron’s departure from Downing Street, a state of flux has surrounded British politics and subsequently, the government’s domestic policy plans.

With the government confirming Yorkshire MP Andrew Percy as the new Northern Powerhouse Minister, replacing James Wharton, business readers are turning their attention towards the future of the initiative, brought about by May’s predecessor David Cameron and former Chancellor George Osborne.

Save the Powerhouse

Issuing a joint statement, Sean Bullick and Bill Addy, the Co-Chairs of the Northern City BIDs Group, and the chief executives of the Newcastle and Liverpool BIDs, said: “It is extremely important for businesses in the North that the Northern Powerhouse initiative is continued by the new Government and its refocussed departments.

“When an overseas investor is looking to invest in the UK, they currently have a choice between the Northern Powerhouse or London. In isolation it is difficult for any individual Northern city to compete with London, but together we can have a genuine chance.

“In the wake of the Brexit vote, the North of England needs certainty. The devolution deals that many northern city regions have signed are a fantastic opportunity in terms of devolved powers and budgets, but when it comes to the economic regeneration of the North, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. This is especially true when it comes to infrastructure, with Transport for the North being a separate pillar of the Northern Powerhouse that exists outside of regional devolution.

“The Northern Powerhouse’s success cannot be judged on a timescale of months or a handful of years, real change take time, so we ask Mrs May and her new Government to let the project continue until it can be assessed on an objective basis.”

The Northern City BIDs group represents seven of the Business Improvement Districts in the North of England’s cities, all of which are independent, business-led initiatives to improve their respective city centres. The Newcastle, Liverpool, York, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Sunderland BIDs represent thousands of northern Businesses.