Hullapool line ‘as important to Northern Economy as Crossrail is to London’, IPPR North tells Chamber
Pictured on the debating panel are (from left) Diana Johnson, Ian Kelly, Chamber President Steve Eastwood, Ed Cox and Martin Vickers.
THE Chamber hosted a “thoughtful and intelligent” debate on the issues surrounding Devolution, City Regions and the Northern Powerhouse in conjunction with the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) North.
Chief Executive Dr Ian Kelly thanked the panel and audience for a “thoughtful and intelligent” debate, while Humber LEP chairman Lord Haskins said it was the best event on devolution he had attended.
With three Chamber events hosted by Hull University’s Business School, IPPR North director Ed Cox told Chamber members the “Hullapool” line linking Liverpool and Hull should be as important to the Northern Economy as Crossrail is to London, and commended the Chamber for trying to get political coherence.
He urged business not to sit back and complain, but to follow the German example and “roll up their sleeves and get involved” and said he was pleased to see the Hull & Humber Chamber doing just that.
Nine Northern Chambers of Commerce, including Hull & Humber, submitted a joint policy document on the Northern Powerhouse opportunities to George Osborne to consider as part of the Spending Review. Mr Cox said: “It is significant that these Chambers have come together with one voice. Collectively they represent 16,000 businesses and 1.4-million people – these are big numbers which make a powerful voice which cannot be ignored by Government.
“But here’s the catch, our Northern economy still underperforms relative to the world’s most prosperous economic regions – more slowly than in all but one other EU country – Greece.
“Northern prosperity is national prosperity – drive forward the Northern economy and everyone will benefit. Our Rhetoric to Reality report quantifies just how big that Northern potential is. So here are some new figures for you - the Northern economy is worth £289-billion. It’s twice the size of Scotland, the 10th biggest in the EU. The economies of the five biggest cities grew faster than anywhere outside London in the 10 years to 2013 with their populations growing at a rate of one new city of Manchester every 10 years.
“In London, planned spend on transport infrastructure per head is £2,604. In Yorkshire and Humber it is just £391.
“If the Northern Powerhouse is to have any lasting substance – and not end up as yet another failed regional policy – then we’ve got to see new cash, real money, spades in the ground. The Spending Review is a big opportunity to turn the rhetoric into reality”.
The Big Debate held earlier in the day in the Allam Lecture Theatre, saw MPs Diana Johnson (Hull North), Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes), Ed Cox from IPPR North and the Chamber’s Dr Ian Kelly discuss the key issues in front of 80 Humber business leaders.
Ed Cox set the scene with a summary of developments so far. Diana Johnson told the audience that there was a lack of engagement with the public in Yorkshire and the Humber, and said she thought we needed a much bigger debate, more accountability and to take the public with them.
Dr Kelly agreed with her sentiments, which he said was exactly why we were having the debate so we could get the issues out into the public domain. “From the business perspective, councils have to look at their local priorities and the contribution the Chamber wants to make is at an economic and strategic level. Much of the business community is focused on the Humber which operates as an economic unit with diverse industries such as gas, petro-chemicals, shipping and manufacturing. The Humber operates well as an economic unit and devolution only matters if it generates jobs, wealth and prosperity”.
While from a Lincolnshire perspective Martin Vickers joked he was always happy to see civil war in Yorkshire, but “without a deadline, the debate would go on forever”.
Dr Kelly believed the deadline was just the end of the beginning, with people like Lord Heseltine and Greg Clark (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) having previously stated a clear view for the Humber, and with HS3 and the Hullapool line, there is a good case still for the Humber as our geographic area as part of the wider Northern Powerhouse.
Mr Cox explained that in Manchester, passions around devolution had brought forward more people to get involved in local politics and become councillors and had actually revamped local government. He urged people to get involved in the debate and have their say.
Chamber President Steve Eastwood thanked Hull University Business School for its help and support in staging such a big event, which was combined with a lunch and speed networking session in the morning. The Chamber also thanked David Connell from Caprica Healthcare and Denise Hutchinson from Spire Hull and East Riding Hospital for their support by sponsoring the Speed Networking and Networking Lunch events.
