The Conservative party, particularly the Chancellor, gave the Northern Powerhouse agenda far more prominence than expected during the election campaign. This may well mean that hard-edged deliverables stand more chance of appearing in the legislative programme for the new Government. 

On the other hand, given the vacuum of leadership created by the string of resignations, there will be an inevitable period of inward focussed debate that will ensue in opposition parties. So it could either be viewed that the path is clear to make devolution enabled economic growth the Government's flagship policy for the North. Or, more sceptical commentators may say, that the pressure is off and the pre-election debate will not be translated into meaningful action. 

Time will tell whether the 'glass half-full' or the 'glass half-empty' people are right.  But in the meantime, isn't this a great opportunity for Councils and business in the North to put a strong case forward demonstrating the return on investment for the UK in really backing the North? 

So what sort of signals could Government give to the North, its local authorities, businesses and investors, to convince them of their intent to drive this agenda forward creating the conditions for sustained growth? 

Committing to HS3 with enabling legislation in the first Queen's speech of this parliament would be a start. A clear timetable, including details of when the route will be finalised, funding commitments placing the project alongside other infrastructure priorities in the national investment programme and establishing governance arrangements for the project. Most people will be realistic enough to appreciate that a project of this scale will take years to complete but a very positive approach now, setting HS3 in "tablets of stone" (albeit not in the Downing Street garden) would go a long way to convincing northerners that it will happen. 

Secondly, the Queen's Speech may also contain legislation promoting the devolution of powers from Whitehall to the English cities and regions. The Coalition Government made a good start on this agenda, particularly given the track record of previous governments of both colours increasingly centralising power over several decades. Now is the time, however, to move away from individual, ad hoc deals into a more regularised national framework allowing enterprise and innovation to thrive at the sub national level. That is not to say that devolution should look exactly the same in every city or region (that would defeat the purpose of the policy), but that there is a consistency of approach, clarity and certainty emerging from Whitehall so that both the centre and localities know what to expect. Linked to this, Government could put the English cities and regions on the same financial footing as their counterparts in the other parts of the UK by revising the Barnett Formula. Such a move would be universally popular in England but may not be as attractive elsewhere. 

Finally, as austerity inevitably continues there is an opportunity for a new round of major public sector relocations out of London to the regions. Whilst there is a consensus that you need more than public sector jobs to build sustainable economies, the catalyst effect of major relocations such as the BBC move to Salford cannot be underestimated. In addition, the benefits of such moves in terms of cost reduction to the public purse are also very important. Locating all of your resources in the most expensive location in the country with all the implications of cost of living, long distance commuting etc. is something that most major businesses have dealt with over the years and it is time to revisit this agenda with renewed vigour.

 If some or all of the above were to happen, how would the North respond? Is the Northern Powerhouse the dawn of a new era of increasing investment, productivity and growth or was it an interesting debate in the run up to the Election? We will know soon enough! 

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