Northern mayors unveil investment partnership

36 minutes ago

Pamela Tickell

BBC News, North East and Cumbria

The Great North Seven northern mayors are sitting/standing in front of the Tyne Bridge and smiling at the camera. Sir Brendan Foster also joins them. (Right to left) Tracy Brabin, Andy Burnham, Brendan Foster, Oliver Coppard, David Skaith, Kim McGuinness, Ben Houchen and Steve Rotheram.

Mayors in the north of England have unveiled a new partnership which they claim will drive investment opportunities across the region.

The Great North, chaired by North East mayor Kim McGuinness, will represent a combined population of more than 15 million people in the area spanning the Pennines, from Yorkshire and Lancashire, up to the Scottish border.

By bringing the region under one banner, they said they hope to attain investment in sectors including clean energy, defence, advanced manufacturing and the creative industries.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said the leaders would set aside political differences to “bang the drum for the north” and attract “global investment”.

The partnership follows the Labour government’s plans to devolve powers out of Whitehall.

It will utilise the Great North Run brand, founded by Sir Brendan Foster.

A launch event will be held in Leeds, where the body will announce £118bn of investment opportunities, including:

A clean energy proposition down the east coast
The Northern Arc and White Rose Plan, which are rail improvements on the Transpennine Route and the Liverpool to Manchester Railway
A northern security corridor from Cumbria and the North East to Lancashire
Advanced materials and manufacturing corridors bringing together Yorkshire and Greater Manchester with links into neighbouring economies, or between the North East and Tees Valley
The One Creative North partnership to boost the North of England’s creative industries

The six leaders joining McGuinness and Houchen are Tracy Brabin of West Yorkshire, Andy Burnham of Greater Manchester, Steve Rotheram of the Liverpool City Region, York and North Yorkshire mayor David Skaith, South Yorkshire’s Oliver Coppard and Luke Campbell of Hull and East Yorkshire.

Cumbria and Cheshire & Warrington are in a devolution priority programme which envisages mayoral election in 2026.

Meanwhile, following the establishment of a Combined Authority in Lancashire, discussions are underway on establishing a mayor there too.

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