Northern Powerhouse

The Northern Powerhouse is a proposal to boost economic growth in the North of England by the 2010-15 coalition government and 2015-20 Conservative government in the United Kingdom, particularly in the "Core Cities" of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle.[1] The proposal is based on urban agglomeration and aims to reposition the English economy away from London and the South East.

The proposal involves improvement to transport links,[2] investment in science and innovation, and devolution of powers in City Deals.[3] MP for Stockton South, James Wharton, was appointed as minister responsible for the proposal in May 2015.[4]

In October 2015 during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the Northern Powerhouse proposal has "Chinese backing".[5]

Under the new government of Theresa May who became Prime Minister in July 2016, it was alleged that the focus on the North was to be downgraded into a nationwide agenda for boosting productivity outside the south-east.[6] However, this was subsequently rebuked by Theresa May who pledged to "help the great cities and towns of the North pool their strengths and take on the world".[7]

In September 2016 one of the main architects of the Northern Powerhouse project, Lord O'Neill, resigned from the Government and quit the Tory benches in the upper house.[8]

Transport improvements

Proposed transport improvements include Northern Powerhouse Rail (otherwise known as High Speed 3) and the ongoing work of the Northern Hub to remove a railway bottleneck around Manchester and provide faster connections across the North of England.[9]

In December 2015, the government awarded the two rail franchises in the North of England from April 2016 onwards, the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises. These franchises will come with £1.2 billion of investment in more than 500 brand-new carriages, 2,000 extra services a week, free wi-fi on trains and at stations. The outdated Pacer trains will also be removed from the network.[10]

In January 2016, the new southern entrance to Leeds station opened, allowing commuters travelling south to reduce their journey times from the station, as well as a new concourse and cycle storage.[11]

In August 2016, it was reported that proposals for a road tunnel underneath the Pennines to cut journey times by 30 minutes between Manchester and Sheffield, were being advanced. If completed, it would be the world's longest road tunnel.[12]

Science and innovation

Projects include the National Graphene Institute, Square Kilometre Array and National Biologics Industrial Innovation Centre.

Arts

Manchester will get a new £110 million theatre named The Factory (named after Factory Records).[13][14]

In April 2016 the UK Government launched The Great Exhibition of the North, investing "£5 Million towards the exhibition with an additional £15 million into a legacy fund to attract further cultural investment in the Northern Powerhouse".[15]

Devolution

An elected Mayor of Greater Manchester will assume significant powers in Greater Manchester.[16] The interim Mayor of Greater Manchester is the former MP for Manchester Central, Tony Lloyd.[17] Additional devolution proposals include the creation of elected mayors for Sheffield and the North-East (Newcastle, Durham, Northumberland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland), with the first elections due for 2017.[18][19][20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Northern Powerhouse: One Agenda, One Economy, One North" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Department for Transport. March 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "High-speed rail link needed to boost north - Osborne". BBC news. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Chancellor: 'We need a Northern powerhouse' (speech transcript)". Gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Staff writer (12 May 2015). "MP James Wharton's handed 'northern powerhouse' ministerial role". BBC News (Tees). BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Northern Powerhouse project has 'Chinese backing' - David Cameron". BBC News. BBC. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Mance, Henry; Bounds, Andrew (2 August 2016). "Theresa May shifts focus from 'Northern Powerhouse'". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 August 2016. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ Staff writer (19 August 2016). "Theresa May backs Osborne's 'Northern Powerhouse'". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  8. ↑ Staff writer (23 September 2016). "Northern Powerhouse champion resigns from Government". ITV News. ITV Tyne Tees. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  9. ↑ Staff writer (23 December 2015). "HS3 now called Northern Powerhouse Rail, government confirms". Rail Technology Magazine.
  10. ↑ "Massive boost to rail services brings Northern Powerhouse to life". Gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. 9 December 2015.
  11. ↑ "£20 million Leeds station entrance opens up access to city's development". Gov.uk (Press release). Government of the United Kingdom. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Bounds, Andrew (18 August 2016). "UK backs trans-Pennine road tunnel from Manchester to Sheffield". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 August 2016. (subscription required (help)).
  13. ↑ Sherwin, Adam (29 July 2015). "The Factory project: New £110m arts venue named after Tony Wilson's Factory Records to open in Manchester". The Independent. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  14. ↑ Williams, Jennifer (22 July 2015). "Manchester's £110m Factory Theatre takes a big step forward with architects set to be appointed". Manchester Evening News. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  15. ↑ "Competition opens to host Great Exhibition of the North". Gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Williams, Jennifer (31 October 2014). "Revealed: Greater Manchester WILL get an elected 'Boris-style' mayor – and a £1bn boost in devolution deal". Manchester Evening News. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  17. ↑ McCann, Phil (29 May 2015). "Tony Lloyd selected as Greater Manchester interim mayor". BBC news. BBC. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  18. ↑ Perraudin, Frances; Halliday, Josh (19 July 2016). "'Northern powerhouse' minister to create elected Sheffield mayor". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  19. ↑ "Elected mayors for north-east of England as devolution deal announced". BBC news. BBC. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  20. ↑ Walker, Jonathan (20 May 2016). "Who's going to be the North East mayor? We look at who could be in the running". ChronicleLive. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
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