Leaders launch multi-billion pound investment opportunities

Mayors and leaders from across the North West will be at today’s Great North Investment Summit in Leeds to bring forward a major pipeline of investable opportunities across the region.

The summit, delivered in partnership with NatWest and OFI, will hear from northern mayors, treasury minister Dan Tomlinson, and minister for local government Alison McGovern as well as leading business voices.

The prospectus showcases a region of 16 million people, a number of transformative projects worth more than £14bn, and a region with globally significant strengths across clean energy, advanced manufacturing, defence, AI, life sciences and creative industries.

Backed by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the prospectus is launched at The Great North Investment Summit and is designed to present a decisive shift in how the North presents itself to the world, as a united force working collectively with government to unlock national renewal and long-term growth.

Coun Stephen Atkinson, chair of Lancashire Combined County Authority, said: “Lancashire has one of the largest economies in the North West with strategic industries of nuclear, UK Cyber Force and defence.

"Alongside our great towns and cities, county areas like ours bring nationally significant strengths in advanced manufacturing, aerospace and clean energy, with the skills, supply chains and capacity these sectors need to thrive.

"That is why Lancashire is central to any serious proposition for northern growth.

"Major international events also help us showcase that offer to the world. When the Tour de France comes through Lancashire in 2027, it will put our landscapes, communities and economy on a global stage, provide a real boost for local businesses and help demonstrate why the North is such a strong place to live, work, study and invest.”

Mayor of North East England Kim McGuinness, chair of The Great North, said: “We are presenting investors with a pipeline of opportunities that is internationally significant in scale, rooted in our proud industrial identity of making things and taking them across the world.

“Mayors we are putting our money where our mouth is, to unlock the full potential of the North which has been untapped for too long.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: “The North of England has waited for far too long for a government that matches warm words with concerted ambition.

“Stronger growth in the North means stronger growth for the country.

“That is why we are working with mayors and local leaders to unlock investment, create jobs and put more power into the hands of local communities.”