LEPs form Northern Powerhouse alliance

The board will act as one voice representing each of their regions as a modern day ‘Council for the North’ to work with and advise the government on issues such as how to increase productivity, overcome regional disparities in economic growth and tackle the historic north-south divide.

“For the first time since 1472, we will bring together the business voices of the Northern Powerhouse in our Council for the North. They have one task: to enrich all the peoples of the North of England – this is the foundation stone of the Northern Powerhouse and, with the skills and expertise of the NP11, we will shift the North’s economy into overdrive.

Edwin Booth, chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, said: “The LEP is very supportive of this initiative and I believe it is a practical step forward for the whole of the North.

NP11 was announced at a three-day Northern Powerhouse Business Summit held in Newcastle Gateshead which brought together government figures and industry leaders, including business secretary Greg Clark and the governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney.