Press Story

Today sees IPPR North’s Northern Summit take place in Leeds, which brings together over 150 of the north’s leaders of business, commerce and politics to consider what a strategic spatial planning framework for the north of England would look like, its scope and how it should be delivered.

The event – organised by IPPR North and the Royal Town Planning Institute - asks the question: do we need a Great North Plan? Ed Cox, Director of IPPR North, will be setting out some of the initial findings from the organisation’s Great North Plan project as well as looking to strengthen and debate proposals for a Great North Plan blueprint which will be published in Spring 2016.

The summit will also see Lord Heseltine making a major speech setting out his bold agenda for devolution and economic growth in the north at Northern Summit in Leeds.

Commercial Secretary to the Treasury Lord O’Neill said:

“It’s brilliant to see support for our plans to build a Northern Powerhouse, which we are making significant progress with.

“We agree that the Northern Powerhouse is about a number of things, of which transport connectivity is highly important, but far from the only thing, and that’s why, along with devolved powers, we’re investing in science, skills, culture and other important areas to make our ambition to pool the strengths of the north a reality.

“There is much more we can do in 2016 and beyond. It is an exciting journey and it is good to see ideas being generated by the likes of IPPR North.”

On the future of the northern powerhouse, Ed Cox, Director of IPPR North said:

“Those anxious that the Northern Powerhouse idea might somehow start to wane in 2016 need not worry for too long. Of course, there is good reason to suspect that political attention will be diverted from the North of England in the months ahead. With the mayoral election in London taking centre stage in the run up to May in Scotland there is a clear possibility that the Northern Powerhouse will be squeezed between political priorities elsewhere. But Lord Heseltine’s leadership, together with the enthusiasm of business and political leaders in the north, will drive things forward in 2016.”

On whether it should be competition or collaboration between cities than wins out, Ed Cox said:

“While competition between cities may in certain circumstances drive innovation there is clearly a case to be made for greater collaboration between the Northern cities in setting clear priorities for investment and broadening the boundaries of labour markets to enable workers to change jobs without having to move homes. The idea of a wider, deeper labour market is critical to the success of the Northern Powerhouse project and is a key part of Great North Plan thinking.”

On the emphasis on transport in the Powerhouse conversation, Ed Cox said:

“Up until now, much of the emphasis in Powerhouse circles has been on transport connectivity. But most people recognise that a transport plan alone is not sufficient to drive economic growth in the north. There are other economic issues that lend themselves to pan-northern planning – energy, water, innovation, our rural areas and recreational assets. The Great North Plan provides an opportunity to take this broader view.

In countries like Germany and France, national and regional spatial strategies help to determine how these different elements of infrastructure and economic thinking fit together. Scotland has a spatial plan that is succinctly spelt out in 70 pages. Surely this is the way forward for the North of England too?”

On the devolution deals underpinning the Great North Plan, Ed Cox said:

“The real energy behind the Great North Plan has been generated from the bottom up. The Northern Powerhouse agenda has been galvanised by a series of ‘devolution deals’ between government and the big cities but many in the North feel they have been brokered with very little consultation or engagement with business or the wider general public. One of the reasons that the Great North Plan process has garnered so much enthusiasm is that it has adopted a very inclusive approach – giving business leaders, universities and people from outside the big cities the opportunity to debate issues they feel passionately about.”

Bob Wolfe, RTPI Chair of the Northern Summit Project Board, said:

“From Leeds to Liverpool, from Newcastle to Sheffield some strong common ideas have emerged, such as the clear need for strategic plan for the North - high-level yet broad enough to encompass and unite the needs and aspirations of all those who live, work and play in the North. The importance of integrating transport and spatial planning has been emphasised along with the need for economic planning and governance to be in sync. The Northern summit will be a crucial platform to move these ideas forward.”

ENDS

Contacts

Sofie Jenkinson, s.jenkinson@ippr.org / 07981023031

Lester Holloway, l.holloway@ippr.org / 07585772633

Notes to editors

The Northern Summit is being hosted by IPPR North and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) to present the initial findings from their Great North Plan consultation. The two organisations joined forces earlier this year to establish support for a new spatial framework for the north of England, to underpin economic growth, looking beyond transport infrastructure.

Some 240 business and public policy leaders attended 11 roundtable events in Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Hull between June and September to consider what a strategic spatial planning framework for the north of England would look like, its scope and how it should be delivered.