Member News
Ahead of its fringe event at the Conservative party conference, representatives of the North West Business Leadership Team discuss economic rebalancing, LEPs and high speed rail.
Has the Prime Minister's stated commitment to the regional rebalancing of the UK economy proved to be both genuine and achievable?
We are still awaiting positive signs that this is the case. The North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) warmly welcomed the government's commitment to rebalancing the UK economy so that it is less dependent on service industries and on London and the South East. We believe this commitment is genuine but it must be backed by appropriate actions.
As the UK's largest manufacturing region, with excellent international air and sea connectivity, there is potential for the North West to play a leading role in achieving export-led economic growth. With the right incentives and support, and building on its sources of international competitive advantage, the North West can make a considerable difference to the growth of the UK economy as a whole.
What is the initial reaction of business people in the North West to Local Enterprise Partnerships(LEPs)?
The business community in the North West welcomes the LEPs but we wait to see what real power they are to be given. The government must be seen to encourage them and to back their initiatives.
NWBLT is working closely with the five LEPs in the North West to help provide strong and cohesive business support. We believe that business-led local organisations are best placed to stimulate local development and growth and that, by working closely with business and with one another, the LEPs can achieve a great deal in terms of stimulating enterprise and entrepreneurship in their respective areas.
How can the LEPs be strengthened and their assistance in economic growth be accelerated?
The LEPs must be given more devolved powers and some core funding to cover their administration, in addition to some essential research and analysis. To be truly effective the LEPs will need to have a full range of tools at their disposal and the resources necessary to take meaningful action and maintain a strategic leadership role. Some LEPs,or example Greater Manchester are already well resourced but this does not apply elsewhere.
It is important to understand that some LEPs will inevitably be able to move faster than others and that each must be allowed to move at its own pace rather than at the pace of the slowest.
What do you believe are the North West's key industry strengths and opportunities for the future?
The North West is very strong in modern, advanced manufacturing, particularly aerospace and defence, and in chemicals and bio manufacturing, as well as media and associated IT.
MediaCity in Salford is now Europe's second largest media hub and the North West has several world-class universities, carrying out some of mankind's most significant ever research, in fields ranging from astrophysics to tropical medicine and sustainable food production. The region is also a world leader in nuclear energy and has one of the UK's largest financial services industries.
In recent years the North West has consistently outperformed all UK regions outside London and the South East, in terms of attracting overseas investment.
It continues to offer a host of exciting opportunities for internationally successful businesses, ranging from biomedical, advanced engineering and digital/creative industries through to energy and environmental technologies. Support for modernising high value manufacturing will create enormous growth potential.
The North West Business Leadership Team has been a strong advocate of high speed rail 2 for several years – why do you consider it of such importance?
For both economic and environmental reasons, there is an urgent need to address the growing capacity constraints on the UK's principal North-South rail link. The existing West Coast Mainline already has the busiest stretch of inter-city railway in Europe; meanwhile the M6 provides the only motorway link between the UK's leading manufacturing region and London, the South East and on in to Europe and, like the West Coast Mainline, is already heavily overloaded.
NWBLT has been pleading with successive governments for several years, not only to proceed with investment in new, high quality rail connections but to do so urgently. In conjunction with the up-grading of our local heavy rail network, and particularly the Northern Hub scheme to improve rail links between the northern cities, HS2 could transform the economic potential of the North of England as a whole.
One of the North West's main advantages, in international terms, is its proximity to that global economic driver, London. Any initiative which brings the North West closer, in time terms, to London will stimulate the North West's economy.
With the government's policy of creating 'better not bigger' airports in the South East, a high speed rail link could also enable the UK to make much more efficient use of its overall aviation capacity.
What are the main priorities to be addressed by business and government, to enable the North West to reach its full potential as a place to live and work?
If the North West is to reach its full potential we must continue to develop our world leading industries and our world class research, science and innovation capabilities. These are the source of the wealth-generating industries of the future.
The North West has an outstanding record of innovation in knowledge-based industries and, provided full recognition and support is given to the world-class research at companies such as AstraZeneca, BAE Systems and Unilever, at the Daresbury Science and Innovation Centre and at Universities such as Lancaster, Liverpool and Manchester, we are confident that the North West will continue to be a world-class region in which to live, work and invest. But government needs to demonstrate that it takes seriously its responsibilities in providing infrastructure, such as broadband connectivity and transport, to meet business requirements.
Most important of all, there is a pressing need for our young people to be offered the prospect of a better future than is the case for many of them at present – both in the cities and the rural areas. Our region's leaders owe it to the rest of the community to show the way forward, and especially to help inspire the young. A major uplifting of skills and personal ambition must be a top priority.
Much has been achieved in the North West over the past 25 years but the progress has to be maintained.
The North West Business Leadership Team is an independent group of senior business leaders in the North West, working together to promote sustainable economic development. ePolitix.com put some topical questions to the group.
The answers represent a cross-section of the replies received, including those from Michael Oglesby (chairman of the Bruntwood Group), Charlie Cornish (chief executive of Manchester Airport Group), Neville Chamberlain (the chairman of Cheshire Business Leaders) and Geoffrey Piper (NWBLT chief executive).
The North West Business Leadership Team is hosting a fringe event during the forthcoming Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, from 6.00pm on Monday 3rd October at Addleshaw Goddard, 100 Barbirolli Square (just across the street from the main Conference Hall).
This will take the form of a drinks reception to be hosted by NWBLT chairman, Paul Lee, with its deputy-chairman Mike Blackburn (who is chairman of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership) speaking on the subject of Achieving Business Growth in the North West.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.