EVENT | Finding True North: Realising the Northern Powerhouse

Communities Secretary, Greg Clark, and Northern Powerhouse minister, James Wharton, will headline a day-long heavyweight political conference featuring senior figures from both the main political parties across central and local government at the Lowry arts centre in Salford this summer.

The conference will examine the UK’s North-South divide and is being organised by think-tank ResPublica North, which describes itself as “a new organisation to build a powerful platform for the advocacy of unity, spread of prosperity and strengthening of society across the North.”

Headline speakers:

Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government

James Wharton MP, Minister for the Northern Powerhouse

Dan Jarvis, Leading Labour Backbencher

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council

Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool

Ivan Lewis MP, Manchester Mayoral Candidate

Cllr Paul Watson, Sunderland City Leader

Breakout Sessions & Speakers:

Health: George Freeman, Health Minister

Energy: Lisa Nandy, Shadow Energy Secretary

Education: Lucy Powell, Shadow Education Secretary

Transport: John Cridland, Transport for the North

Innovation: Lord Heseltine

ResPublica North’s agenda for the event

Finding True North is the next step forward for the Northern Powerhouse agenda, placing identity, culture, collaboration, and innovation at its heart.

It will look to extend the thinking which has so far focused mainly on the economic. While no one can deny that enabling economic growth and jobs is for many the only route out of poverty, the Northern Powerhouse is equally an opportunity to put society, and ultimately the communities and people for whom the benefit will accrue, back on the agenda.

The Government has pledged to “make the cities of the north a powerhouse for our economy again”. George Osborne has made it clear that he is “prepared to invest significantly to make it a reality”, and the new City Deals show the Government’s level of commitment to this vision. But this major conference will be the first to bring together the leaders – political and cultural, from business and communities – who shoulder the responsibility of delivering real change to create a better and more balanced country.

The time is now for the North to capitalise on this political consensus, converting the desire for change into real action, and we would be delighted to have you with us to discuss the future of housing policy across the North in a new age of devolved power.

A ResPublica Conference

  • The Lowry Theatre, Salford, Manchester
  • Friday 8 July 2016
  • The conference will be a full day event from 10.30am until 5.30pm
  • Networking drinks until 6.30pm
  • V.I.P dinner from 6.30 to 8.30pm

Click here to register

Your Comments

Read our comments policy

Finding True North. Held in Manchester…

By Mike

Manchester is like a spoilt brat whilst it keeps spitting it’s dummy out of the pram they will never be room for a Northern Flowerhouse… move over Manchester there are other more important cities in the North, embarrassing.

By dave

WHY MANCHESTER ?

By Dave

Salford is part of Greater Manchester ..NOT Manchester…One minute, we are included in the Northern Powerhouse (I understand it to stretch from Liverpool to beyond Leeds?) and other times not???

By Schwyz

To say that Manchester is not the most important city North of Birmingham,in England at least,is utterly ridiculous.This sour grapes mentality of everybody else,is why London flourishes and we remain in the doldrums. JLL recently reported that Manchester was one of the most successful regional economies in Europe,coming in at 9th.London and Dublin were first and 2nd and Edinburgh 10th.No other city in the UK or Ireland was mentioned.Manchester was above Berlin in this list.Anyone visiting the city knows there is something quite remarkable happening.New restaurants opening daily,Skyscrapers announced every week,more and more .investment in the Knowledge and Digital economies.Has anyone been to the University area recently? It is bigger than some towns.Unlike Liverpool,which dwells on a sentimental past,Manchester is very much about the future.We don’t want a museum thanks,or music tours,talking about people who moved South,once they got a few bob.

By Elephant

Elephant like i still say there are other world cities ( Liverpool City Region) i think have a lot more potential than the likes of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield, Liverpool is more of an attractive city than ones mentioned , the new Super port and Liverpool Waters about to begin this year , car manufacturing science, film studios etc, i could go on , and only if Manchester had the attractions and waterfront that Liverpool has hey )

By Dave

Liverpool is way behind both Leeds and Manchester and will never catch up. It doesn’t have access to the population and it doesn’t have the affluence. Even Sheffield has more potential.

By Austin

Austin I have visited all Leeds Manchester and even Sheffield are you on this planet ?
And of course your going to say that, as you lot have always been jealous of Liverpool and thst is fact. Keep dreaming .
manchester leeds and ermmm even Sheffield are not global cities -Liverpool is.

By Dave

Liverpool blows you lot out of the water ..landlocked misirable gr#m towns that look the same …Keep dreaming and wake up and don’t believe all you hear or want to believe about Liverpool because it’s all lies )

By Dave

There will never be a Northern power house and that is fact whist the likes of Manchester leeds continously rant and fight like spoilt brats …the only true potential to be the northern powerhouse is Liverpool and it has proven that once before the city of the Empire the true Northern power , a true global city with still today a global presence .))
liverpool has got it Mojo back.

By Dave

Go and have a lie down Dave. Please explain why having a nice waterfront is a basis for driving economic growth across the North of England, and am I right in thinking that it could lose its world heritage status? Please explain why Liverpool is ‘a global city’? Liverpool is a handsome city, but then so is Bath and I can’t see any reason why that could be some kind of economic force because of it.

By Loganberry

Rrrrr Aaaa Austin lad, I thought we were all friends now in the NP, all working hard to be good and help each other out because of that nasty London, and kind Mr Osbourne waving his magic wand bestowing blessings and goodies on all the fair cities of the beautiful North without Grace or favour so we can all prosper and make life more pleasant, enabling the disadvantaged and unemployed to find a meaningful purpose in life..or have we started to break ranks before the goodies come from Whitehall and it becomes a free for all..no wonder London prospers while we are so far behind and yes I include the whole of the North, recent trips to London just verify that.

By Man on bicycle

I am from the South, lived in Bristol, Cardiff, Southampton and also had a stint in Stockholm. Could say I am impartial. Unfortunately for the self-obsessed, rose tinted glass wearing Scousers, Liverpool is nowhere near Manchester in terms of economy, history, potential, future or reputation/global appeal. This small mindedness makes Scousers a laughing stock, why can’t they stick to their own devices and stop trying to hold the rest back?

Onwards and upwards for Manc, Leeds/Bradford and Sheffield though. I’d like to say the same for Liverpool but in decades to come they’ll still be trying to assimilate the Wirral into their plans, the parochial, arbitrary nonsense that stops it from becoming a functional economic region now will blight it then just like it does now (along with the delusions of grandeur from the local residents).

By The Squirrel's Nuts

Liverpool is a fine city,but needs to channel it’s energies into tourism.People love looking at cities with a glorious past.Look at Pompeii and Petra, teeming with visitors,wanting to see relics of a bygone age.

By Elephant

Liverpool is a fantastic city, one of my favourite places in the country. It has it’s own individual character and, in my opinion, the best waterfront of any UK city (its number 1 asset). However, the pace of development going on in Manchester, and to an extent Leeds, is on a completely different level to what is going on in Liverpool right now. A view of the sheer amount of cranes on the Manchester skyline right now compared to other northern cities tells you all you need to know. Liverpool is let down by it’s inept local politicians that cannot collaborate with one another and business leaders effectively, towards attracting investment, in the way that Manchester has. Manchester is not Liverpool’s problem, Liverpool is a victim of itself. If its local politicians could work effectively together toward lobbying businesses and central government for investment, and could shake off the ‘woe is me’ attitude, the investment will come pouring in

By SH

The squirrels nuts: you are deluded.

By Cathy

Very funny Elephant absolutely hilarious, you should look into a mirror to see your own relic.

By Man on bicycle

Am from the South also lived in Sydney , Mebourne, Stockholm (manchester for 1 month) and now live in Liverpool, i Could say I am aslo impartial, Manchester from my experience is self obsessed and also has another obsession of slating Liverpool in every opportunity.
Liverpool is a fantastic city much more pleasant than down the M62 and beyond just because the ugly sister has a few more dreadfull souless office block does not make you any better, You will never have the charm and culture that Liverpool has… so take your rose tinted tacky glasses off.

By Cathy

It’s a nice enough looking place on the waterfront Liverpool but is really run down further back. It’s the people that ruin it, and that accent.

By Lewis

Really Lewis ?
So what’s Manchester’s excuse as their accent is very annoying and loud and the whole city is a mess.

By Cathy

Oh dear! All the old prejudices coming out now,we seem to be losing the main thread of this story and it’s backstory.
The NP is appearing to be a monocentric one as opposed to a polycentric one, just because” us lot over here” are pointing that out, we are accussed of all types of things, gosh you guys must really be jealous of Liverpool and it shows!

By Man on bicycle

Man on Bicycle – No one on planet earth is jealous of your decaying junkie infested turd of a city.

By Brian

Hi all – can we please remember this is a comment forum for a professional website, so please keep the debate focused and let’s not resort to insults. Thanks, Jessica (Deputy Editor)

By Jessica Middleton-Pugh

BRIAN : Don’t talk about vile madchester like that landlocked dump that would not exist without LIVERPOOL= FACT

By Cathy

Landlocked grim mill town with no identity or history , bitter and jealous of Liverpool world city

By Cathy

Let’s hope the Event is a success and brings us all together.

By Man on bicycle

Radical idea guys. How about we put all of the bickering from both sides to one side and actually work together? Silicon Valley in America is the size of the distance between Manchester and Liverpool, that’s how much of an economic impact we can have if we get out of this competitive mindset and see that in reality we are close neighbours. At the moment however, you can’t even agree on an EVENT about the Northern Powerhouse, let alone actually make it a reality.

By Right

Cathy, it’s not just that Manchester has “few more dreadfull souless office blocks”, it has over double the office takeup of Liverpool.

Please continue to enjoy the “charm and culture” and waterfront – we will continue to enjoy relative economic prosperity and laughing at Scousers.

By Brian

Second time of asking, why is Liverpool a ‘world city’? Two posters have made reference to it.

By Loganberry

Unfortunately there are a couple of childish Liverpudlian trolls on here ruining the comments pages. I suspect they change their name often making it seem like there’s more than there actually are. I also suspect it’s the same posters as on SSC.

By True

Logan, Liverpool has a waterfront, Cilla Black, the Beatles and a football team who were decent in the eighties (the best decade). What has Manchester ever achieved to be considered a world city?

By Brian

Related Articles

Sign up to receive the Place Daily Briefing

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and sign up to receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

"*" indicates required fields

Your Job Field*
Other regional Publications - select below