The Northern Powerhouse – From The Horse’s Mouth

Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society Lecture 2015

A lecture from Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council on the development of the “Northern Powerhouse”. 

Free event hosted by the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.

WHEN
Wednesday 1st July 2015, 19.00

WHERE
Manchester Conference Centre (Sackville Street)
BOOKING
Register a place HERE
SUMMARY

“We are delighted to welcome the Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, Sir Howard Bernstein to address the Society on the hot topic of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’.

The term ‘Northern Powerhouse’ may have come into common currency recently, but the underlying concept is one which our great northern cities – with Manchester very much in the vanguard – have been advocating for many years.

Put simply, it’s about recognising the need to rebalance the nation’s economy with major northern cities, both collectively and individually, being backed to unlock their potential. This means complementing, not competing with London and the South East. But it also means recognising and investing in the distinctive strengths of cities such as Manchester – whether it’s in culture or cutting edge research.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Manchester is fundamental to this vision – and that unless Manchester can realise its full potential no such rebalancing of the national economy will be possible.

This means investing in excellence, whether it’s improving transport infrastructure – for example the £15bn One North proposals to radically improve east-west transport connections between northern cities and complement HS2, supporting cultural facilities such as the £78m new Factory Manchester Arts Centre or supporting pioneering research into advanced materials such as graphene.

But also integral to the Northern Powerhouse concept is the recognition that city regions such as Greater Manchester – places with their acts together and clear strategic visions – need to be freed from stifling over-centralisation. Greater Manchester is in the forefront of the devolution agenda which recognises that instead of having ‘one size fits all’ national policies imposed centrally, we are better placed to create the conditions for growth and improving people’s lives by investing in local needs and priorities. This will enable us to use the available funding in a much smarter way.”


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