Northern Powerhouse Minister: ‘Government determined to address’ challenges facing the North

Northern Powerhouse Minister Andrew Percy is calling on businesses in the North to tackle the “massive” challenges facing the region.

The MP for Brigg and Goole spoke of the issues facing the realization of a Northern Powerhouse during the Northern Powerhouse International Conference and Exhibition in Manchester.

During his keynote speech, Mr Percy stated that the North needs to increase productivity, boost skills levels and retain graduates in the region.

The Minister also spoke of the need to improve east-west transport links, and said that the Government was committed to improving that connectivity to open up economic opportunities.

He commented: “It is intolerable that it takes commuters longer to get from Cheshire to Doncaster than it takes to get from London to Cheshire in the first place. That’s a check on investment in the North.”

Mr Percy reiterated at the Northern Powerhouse conference that the Government remained fully committed to the powerhouse project. He said that there had been strong successes, including new investment and transport in the region.

Mr Percy also highlighted the creation of the new £400m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund which was launched in Manchester earlier today.

The Minister explained: “There are massive challenges when it comes to productivity, skills levels; graduate retention is still a big issue. The government is determined to address that.”

Mr Percy, however, also told the conference that the government did not have all the answers. He added: “There is a lot more to do and I look forward to that challenge. More importantly I look forward to us working together.

“We will continue the quite aggressive work overseas to attract inward investment, which is essential for creating jobs.”

The Minister also spoke of “significant” devolution deals for Manchester, Liverpool and the Tees Valley and said he wanted to see more of them in other parts of the region, including the North East as they “took powers away from Westminster”.

Mr Percy also discussed how the North’s cultural offering could also a major role in helping graduate retention, pointing to the success of Hull’s city of culture.