Northern leaders announce new partnership of the North

Mayors and council leaders representing non-mayoral areas have committed to a new partnership to drive forward collaboration across the North at a first-of-its-kind Northern Mayors and Leaders’ Summit held in York this week. 

They agreed to take forward partnership arrangements, focusing initially on five key areas where pan-northern collaboration can make the greatest difference to building a strong, sustainable and inclusive northern economy that delivers for northerners and for the UK at large.

Those areas, which were identified in leaders’ joint Manifesto for the North, are:

• Trade and investment – increasing exporting activity by northern businesses and inward investment to the region by co-developing a northern trade and investment strategy
• Net zero – building on the North’s unique clean energy capabilities to lead the UK’s net zero transition
• Innovation – increasing the value of R&D investment across the North
• People and place – supporting people and places to thrive, with an initial focus on establishing a One Creative North programme, aimed at growing the North’s creative industries
• Transport – continuing collaboration to build a first-class transport system that meets the needs of a thriving northern economy

According to the Manifesto, collaboration in these areas offers the potential to add £118 billion a year to the North’s economy by 2050.

The announcement of the new pan-northern partnership comes exactly two months after the General Election and follows the Government’s commitment to devolve more powers and investment to local places. Through it, mayors and leaders aim to strengthen collaboration between northern institutions at a time of accelerated devolution.

Although working with government will be a central principle, the new partnership is intended to be of the North, by the North and for the North – driven by northern leaders and building on existing collaboration and activity. As well as mayors and council leaders, the York Summit was attended by northern business and university leaders, who have helped shape both the Manifesto for the North priorities and how the new partnership arrangements can unlock economic growth.

As an immediate example of this pan-northern partnership-working in action, mayors have committed to establishing a One Creative North programme, which aims to grow the North’s creative industries by supporting business growth in the sector and nurturing creative talent.

Northern mayors and leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the 2025 Convention of the North, which will take place at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) on 27 and 28 February 2025.

Cllr Phillippa Williamson, Leader of Lancashire County Council and the Co-Chair of the 2025 Convention of the North, said:

“As northern leaders, we are united by our belief in the North’s huge economic potential and the need to unlock this for the benefit all our residents and businesses. Building long-term, sustainable and inclusive economic growth is a priority for us all, and by working together, and with the national government, we can deliver real change.

“This new partnership will enable us to work collaboratively on areas of common challenges and create new opportunities, both for the places we represent and for the country as a whole.

"I am also very much looking forward to Lancashire hosting the next Convention of the North in February 2025 where we will be able to showcase our partnership and just how important the economy of the North is to a successful UK plc."

Clare Hayward MBE DL, Co-Chair of the Convention of the North, added:

“All roads to future UK growth lead through the North: we have the scale and economic strength to respond to the national imperative for growth and, with over 90% of our population set to live in a devolved area by 2025, we are already seeing the benefits of devolution.

“It’s incredible how much we have achieved through the Convention of the North over the past six years, working in collaboration across geographic boundaries and between the public, private and third sectors. Today we have taken another step forward, setting out both what we plan to collaborate on and essentially how we will harness our collective resources to turn our ambition into meaningful action.

“Through the new partnership agreed today, Northern leaders have made clear the determination to write the North’s future ourselves, working collectively as one North.”

Mayors’ commitment to establishing One Creative North to grow the North’s creative and cultural industries represents immediate delivery against the policy priorities that the new pan-northern partnership will focus on.

The North’s arts, culture and heritage sectors contribute £10.4bn a year to the UK economy and there are over 170,000 jobs across the region’s creative industries. However, with nearly 70% of the UK’s creative industries’ economic output concentrated in London and the South East, there is the potential to build on the North’s creative strengths to support business start-ups, growth, exporting and talent development.

Building on research by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and engagement with cultural and creative organisations across the North, three core pillars of activity have been identified:

• development of the North’s creative skills and talent pipeline
• establishment of a networking platform for creatives
• providing financial support through a ‘Bank of Creativity’, with the ultimate aspiration to create a £50m pan-northern investment fund offering loans to creative businesses

The One Creative North board will be chaired by the revered British theatre director and producer Jude Kelly CBE. Brought up in Liverpool and renowned for her many years as the Artistic Director of the former West Yorkshire Playhouse – as well as recent festivals in Liverpool, Manchester, Rotherham and future projects in Darlington – Ms Kelly will chair the partnership board and bring her vast experience of the creative industries to the table.

Commenting on the One Creative North announcement, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire and outgoing Co-Chair of the Convention of the North, said:

“From the BBC in Salford and Channel 4 in Leeds, to the plans for the Crown Works Film Studios in Sunderland, it is an incredibly exciting time for creative industries in the North.

“So I’m delighted to announce the launch of One Creative North – a new partnership body, powered by devolution and chaired by the amazing Jude Kelly, supporting the growth of the creative industries across the North.

“By building the talent pipelines we need, and backing our arts organisations to continue to nurture and export homegrown talent, we’ll deliver the economic growth the North needs and deserves.”

As Chair, Jude Kelly CBE – who is also the Founder and CEO of The WOW Foundation – will lead a steering group to build a picture of the wider issues and opportunities across the North, working with mayors, cultural bodies, grassroots organisations and others.

The full Manifesto of the North is available at: https://www.conventionofthenorth.org.uk/news/manifesto-for-the-north-published