Today the ECHO joins forces with rival publishers to challenge Britain’s main political parties to commit to policies to close a widening North-South divide.
As Westminster squabbles over Brexit we demand that promises are kept and plans are put in place to create a true Northern Powerhouse that can improve lives for millions of people.
A year ago we joined forces with sister titles across the North to force the Government to act to ease the misery on the region’s railways.
Now, amid near-comic political uncertainty, we are calling on the main parties – and those who aspire to lead them – to spell out what they intend to do for the North.
Nominations close today in the Tory contest to succeed Theresa May. And if, as looks likely, an election follows, we face months of political paralysis, leaving the North at an even greater disadvantage.
Limbo is unacceptable. We need decisions NOW so Liverpool and the North can attract national and international investment.
So today we’re calling on each party – and leadership nominee in the Tory case – to back the Northern Powerhouse policy agenda and set out detailed plans to:
* back a new Industrial Strategy for the North to enable every sector of the economy to flourish
* provide Transport for the North with the power and cash to overhaul the region’s road and rail network
* make Northern Powerhouse Rail a national priority
* speed up devolution in the North West, Yorkshire and the North East so more decisions are taken locally
* make more investment available for the North’s schools, colleges and universities to boost skills
* set out a programme for new social housing and affordable homes, building on the great work done in Liverpool
* accelerate investment in the North’s digital infrastructure
On top of this, each party must explain, honestly, their approach to Brexit, HS2 and key public services like the NHS, social care, education and policing, as well as the obscene unfairness of funding to local authorities that sees those in most need given least.
The ECHO – and its partners – remain committed to speaking up for our readers.
So those in the Westminster bubble need to remember: the North is home to 15 million people and employs a quarter of England’s workforce. It is the UK’s largest manufacturing region and would be Europe’s ninth largest economy if it stood alone.
If Westminster continues to put London and the South’s interests first then all parties risk being abandoned and obsolete in an increasingly disenchanted, disadvantaged and furious North.
