Is the Northern Way just a talking shop?

Jan 30 2008 by Alex Turner, Liverpool Daily Post

“We will be investing in policy research, transport, innovation, housing, and how city regions can become better connected in the UK economy.”

Downtown Liverpool in Business chairman Frank McKenna believes there is still a lot to do to turn a good idea into a prosperous one.

“The concept is right, but as a northern region we are not punching our weight,” he said.

“So we have to conclude that the money hasn’t been spent wisely.

“Part of the problem is that the base they were starting from was very low. The creation of this Northern corridor was a perception rather than a reality.

“They had major obstacles to overcome and that proved more difficult than imagined.

“Unless we can start to co-ordinate Northern cities better, we will always have this North-South divide. With the investment going into London, the imbalance will start to accelerate.”

However, for Mr McKenna, the role of the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) raises the promise that The Northern Way can make some inroads into the prosperity gap.

HE SAID: “The Northern Way being a talking shop is the biggest fear the business community has.

“But if you look at the NWDA you have to say they are doers rather than talkers.”

However, last week’s wordy tome – the Northern Connection report and its three associated thematic reports, totalling 61,898 words – did little to reassure those who believe the organisation, shorn of its budget, will become anything other than a talking shop, and that its work will do nothing more than describe the North rather than design its future.

But Mr Lewis refutes the idea that it will become impotent.

“Our job is to stimulate and enable activity that is here for a long time afterwards,” he said.

“We can encourage the regional development agencies to carry on working together. We have made it happen and we need to step back from that so it can continue.

“We can still take action because we are connected with local agencies and government. We can couple our research with action; it’s not research for its own sake.” And he argues that the organisation can influence the progress of the North’s economy.

“We have really strong connections with Government,” he said. “I want to turn that into real action. I want people to say in three years that it has really had an influence and as a result the North is much more able to grow its economy over the long-term.”

But he was keen to stress that it is up to the cities and their leaders to benefit from the opportunities he feels that The Northern Way can create.

“Liverpool is primarily improved by decisions and leadership in Liverpool,” he said. “But we can play our part by making sure the needs of the city are put into action.”

alexturner@dailypost.co.uk