Jacob King
Northern Powerhouse
Northern Powerhouse by Jacob King
Two-thirds of people in the North of England have either never heard of, or know nothing about, the Northern Powerhouse, according to a BBC survey. The survey suggested 44% had never heard of the policy and 20% had heard of it but know nothing about it. The Powerhouse attempts to redress the north/south divide and attract investment to the north. The findings are based on a survey of 1,003 people in the North of England. The Northern Powerhouse is the brainchild of Chancellor George Osborne, who is aiming to bridge the economic gap between the north and south by attracting investment and improving transport links between its towns and cities. It aims to promote growth in towns and cities and divert money and power. The ComRes BBC-commissioned survey found 82% of respondents agree local politicians should have control over services like transport and health rather than MPs in London. What is the Northern Powerhouse? It is an attempt to turn the North’s combined population of 15m into an economic force to rival that of London and the South East. Connecting cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Hull by electrifying the railways. Mr Osborne’s vision is to rival the major economic regions of Europe Some people have complained that the focus has been too much on Greater Manchester. The Northern Powerhouse is a strategy. But that is all it is; a strategy, a plan, a dream. The ambition is to reverse decades of economic decline and create a powerful alternative to London. Are smaller towns in the North of England being left behind by the Northern Powerhouse locomotive? Leigh, which is 15 miles from Manchester city centre, does not have a railway station, despite its size. They complain there’s no industry and no jobs in the area, particularly since the closure of pits across Lancashire’s coalfield. The railway station was mothballed in the 1960s. Sceptics question how effective the project will be. Some described it as the “Northern Poorhouse” and claim it is window dressing, citing the recent closure of SSI steelworks in Redcar, with the loss of thousands of jobs.