At a dinner at the Conservative party conference, in association with Aecom, MPs, local politicians, journalists and policy experts discussed the question: ‘Can the Northern Powerhouse still deliver?’ Guests included Esther McVey MP, Sean Anstee, Leader of Trafford Council, Andy Bounds, North of England correspondent for the Financial Times, and Richard Robinson of Aecom. The event was chaired by Fraser Nelson and the article below is a summary of what was discussed.
The Northern Powerhouse was the brainchild of George Osborne, his intention being to create a better-connected super-conurbation across the North of England with the socio-economic muscle to compete as a global centre. The initiative resulted in the creation of metro mayors, and the location of some internationally important institutions such as Manchester’s National Graphene Institute. But another plank of the policy – a high-speed rail line between Manchester and Leeds has been kicked into the long grass, along with the electrification of the existing Transpennine line.
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