The Northern Powerhouse is real and is a genuine attempt to develop a programme capable of achieving sustained growth across the North to address the productivity gap and contribute more to UK PLC.

But we need to be honest about that fact that the history of pan-northern collaboration is patchy at best and there is no guarantee of success with the Northern Powerhouse, even backed by Government support. It needs to align the political objectives of the different parts of the North, while securing the buy-in of business, HE sectors and others, in order to sustain it over the long term, sufficient to make the step changes needed.

One of the biggest challenges it faces is that I still don't think anyone has fully worked out the agenda yet and there is a real danger that it drifts into a catch-all title for every publicly-funded programme in the North.

Building a knowledge economy in the North is the central purpose of the Northern Powerhouse, without which there will be no prospect of closing the productivity gap. This, in my view, should take the form of a small number of strategic interventions, which are best focused on a pan-regional geography. Things which are capable of being delivered effectively at a sub-city region level should not form part of the Northern Powerhouse.

Clearly, subjects such as Northern connectivity fit into the former category, as would higher-level skills, R&D and knowledge transfer involving collaboration between universities and industry at a pan-regional level. This is particularly the case where the opportunity draws on the collective strength of different parts of the North, to create something of genuine international significance or even world leading.

However, currently there isn't a consensus around the fact that the North isn't and never will be a homogenous place and that it is the big cities which will be the key growth engines. These, together with the ports and airports, will be the key places for primary investment with supply chain opportunities spreading into the crucial hinterland around our cities.

So how do we reconcile the pan-regional need when the distinct cities will be the economic drivers?

The cities should work together to recognise and maximise the potential and intensity of economic activity in each place, specifically around high growth and high skill sectors including advanced manufacturing, digital industries, Financial Services and health and life sciences. They should then ensure that transport and digital communication enhancements will connect people to the key opportunities, rather than trying to engineer the opportunities into suboptimal locations.

Lastly, we must see the continued support and commitment to the Norther Powerhouse from Westminster during this period of political change. Whilst the North can take responsibility for the optimal alignment of local, regional and pan-regional economic activity, the success of the Northern Powerhouse will only be secured as long as it retains the prominence it enjoyed during the general election to give stakeholders the confidence that it remains a national priority.

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