Northern Powerhouse

The Northern Powerhouse is a proposal to boost economic growth in the North of England by the 2010-15 coalition government and 2015-20 Conservative government in the United Kingdom, particularly in the "Core Cities" of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle.[1] The proposal is based on urban agglomeration and aims to rebalance the UK economy away from London and the South East.

The proposal involves improvement to transport links,[2] investment in science and innovation, and devolution of powers in City Deals.[3]

In October 2015 during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the Northern Powerhouse proposal has "Chinese backing".[4]

Transport improvements

Proposed transport improvements include Northern Powerhouse Rail (previously known as High Speed 3) and the ongoing work of the Northern Hub to remove a railway bottleneck around Manchester and provide faster connections across the North of England.[5]

In December 2015, the government awarded the two rail franchises in the North of England from April 2016 onwards, the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises. These franchises will come with £1.2 billion of investment in more than 500 brand-new carriages, 2,000 extra services a week, free wi-fi on trains and at stations. The outdated Pacer trains will also be removed from the network.[6]

In January 2016, the new southern entrance to Leeds station opened, allowing commuters travelling south to reduce their journey times from the station, as well as a new concourse and cycle storage.[7]

Science and innovation

Projects include the National Graphene Institute, Square Kilometre Array and National Biologics Industrial Innovation Centre.

Arts

Manchester will get a new £110 million theatre named The Factory (named after Factory Records).[8][9]

Devolution

An elected Mayor of Greater Manchester will assume significant powers in Greater Manchester[10] and other cities may also gain a Mayor. The interim Mayor of Greater Manchester is the former MP for Manchester Central, Tony Lloyd.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Northern Powerhouse: One Agenda, One Economy, One North" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Department for Transport. March 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  2. ↑ "High-speed rail link needed to boost north - Osborne". BBC news. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Chancellor: 'We need a Northern powerhouse' (speech transcript)". Gov.uk. Government of the United Kingdom. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Northern Powerhouse project has 'Chinese backing' - David Cameron". BBC News. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  5. ↑ "HS3 now called Northern Powerhouse Rail, government confirms".
  6. ↑ "Massive boost to rail services brings Northern Powerhouse to life".
  7. ↑ "£20 million Leeds station entrance opens up access to city’s development". www.gov.uk (Press release). Department for Transport. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  8. ↑ Sherwin, Adam (29 July 2015). "The Factory project: New £110m arts venue named after Tony Wilson's Factory Records to open in Manchester". The Independent. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  9. ↑ Williams, Jennifer (22 July 2015). "Manchester's £110m Factory Theatre takes a big step forward with architects set to be appointed". Manchester Evening News (Trinity Mirror). Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  10. ↑ Williams, Jennifer (31 October 2014). "Revealed: Greater Manchester WILL get an elected 'Boris-style' mayor – and a £1bn boost in devolution deal". Manchester Evening News (Trinity Mirror). Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  11. ↑ McCann, Phil (29 May 2015). "Tony Lloyd selected as Greater Manchester interim mayor". BBC news. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
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