Columnist

The North's future doesn't end at Manchester

There is no denying Andy Burnham deserves credit for what he’s achieved in Greater Manchester.

Over the past decade, devolution has transformed the region into one of the UK’s strongest examples of how local decision-making can unlock economic growth.

It has been the blueprint for what has followed in the North East and what could be built on further. 

Anyone who believes in devolving power away from Whitehall should welcome that success.

But as Andy Burnham, if he becomes Prime Minister, looks to deepen devolution across England, there is an important point that must not be forgotten: the North is far bigger than Manchester.

Too often, national conversations about 'the North' begin and end with Greater Manchester and, to a lesser extent, Leeds.

There is a danger that investment, political attention and strategic thinking become concentrated in just one corner of England.

That would be a mistake because the North East has every bit as much to offer.

We have world-leading advanced manufacturing, internationally-recognised universities, thriving offshore energy industries, globally competitive engineering businesses and an entrepreneurial community that continues to innovate despite decades of underinvestment.

Connectivity is often cited as a reason investment should gravitate towards Manchester, yet the North East already possesses many of the assets needed to support further growth.

Newcastle is one of the UK’s strongest regional cities, with excellent rail connections, a growing digital economy, a vibrant professional services sector and an international airport serving destinations across Europe and beyond.

Darlington has quietly become one of the UK’s most important Government centres outside London.

The Treasury’s Northern Economic Campus has established a significant civil service presence, alongside other departments, demonstrating that high-quality policymaking and public administration do not have to be concentrated in Westminster.

Further south, the Tees Valley has become one of Britain’s most exciting regeneration stories.

Major investment in clean energy, offshore industries, advanced manufacturing and freeport development is creating opportunities that will shape the UK’s industrial future for decades to come.

Collectively, these places form an economic ecosystem that deserves every bit as much attention as those elsewhere in the North.

The real opportunity lies in recognising that Northern England works best when it has several powerful economic centres, rather than one.

The Government often talks about creating a balanced economy, and that balance should exist geographically too.

If ministers genuinely want to boost productivity, attract inward investment and rebalance the UK’s economy, they should resist the temptation to channel all resources into places that are already thriving while overlooking areas with enormous untapped potential.

The North East has consistently demonstrated resilience.

Businesses in the North East innovate, export and invest. They create skilled jobs and time and again prove they can compete nationally and internationally, despite often receiving less attention and fewer resources than counterparts elsewhere.

Imagine what could be achieved if the same political focus, investment and ambition was applied to the region.

The principle behind it is sound: decisions are usually better made closer to the communities they affect.

But if devolution simply creates a handful of dominant city regions, while others remain on the sidelines, we will merely replace one form of centralisation with another, which would miss the point entirely.

Andy Burnham has shown what empowered regional leadership can achieve.

He has helped make the case that local leaders understand their economies better than distant departments in Whitehall.

Now the challenge is ensuring that philosophy extends across the whole North.

Tony Earnshaw is chief executive at London, Manchester, Leeds and Gateshead-based UK Commercial Group

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