‘Powerhouse policy is over’

A LEADING think tank has called on the Government to renew its vision for Northern England after claiming a a previous policy to boost economic growth is ‘over’.

Policy North has urged the abandonment of the Northern Powerhouse project and recommended replacing it with a global vision for the area, which includes Halton.

Stephen Purvis is the chair of the North’s only business-led think tank.

The organisation is currently drawing up proposals for a new Global North approach to policy across the area.

He said: “The Northern Powerhouse is over. The pet project of a former Chancellor that is facing the wrong way in postBrexit Britain.

“The importance of improving links, both physically and metaphorically, between Northern cities and between the North and South has been overplayed.

“There are no natural historic trade connections between the North West and the North East and while closer collaboration between the North West and Yorkshire is positive, it cannot be the blueprint for the entire North, especially in post-Brexit Britain.

“With 44% of adults in the North Of England admitting they have never heard of the Northern Powerhouse, it is clear that this policy has little substance and we need a fresh, more imaginative approach.”

Northern Powerhouse minister Andrew Percy has quit his role, which Mr Purvis said was the ‘final nail in the coffin’ of the policy.

He said the UK’s future departure from the European Union (EU) is a unique opportunity for the North to find a ‘powerful role’ in a ‘truly global’ Britain with increased international influence.

Mr Purvis said: “For too long people living in the North have been educated in the same way, in the same trades and traditions.

“Generations have been prepared for roles in which demand was already collapsing.

“This has created a legacy of unemployment and a monumental skills deficit across the North.

“This failure has contributed to the unprecedented support for leaving the EU.

“Businesses in the North have told us they need a new vision that opens up networks and connections with growing economies, such as the Gulf states, and new industries including financial technology and biotech.

“Leaving the EU and unshackling ourselves from the single market and the customs union means Britain can forge new trade agreements.”

A free trade zone in the North is one of Brexit’s ‘huge opportunities’, Mr Purvis said.

He added it could generate £12bn a year for the region and create more than £600,000.

He said: “There must be an ambitious, global policy approach for the North of England to unlock its full potential.

“The Northern Powerhouse approach is simply not up to the job.”