Minister raps government as he backs our campaign

TODAY the Free Press joins forces with rival publishers across the North to call for Britain’s main political parties to commit to a revolution in the way government treats our communities.

Our Power Up The North collaboration between 33 newspapers and websites comes one year after the launch of the One North campaign in the wake of unprecedented chaos on the region’s railways.

The collective voice of the north’s titles compelled the government to take immediate action on behalf of the millions of passengers who suffered travel misery.

Now, at a time of unparalleled political uncertainty, we are calling on the main parties – and those who aspire to lead them – to spell out what they intend to do, and how they will work with others, to narrow the north-south

JENNIFER WILLIAMS

THE government’s minister for the ‘northern powerhouse’ has backed our campaign, criticising years of government policy in the north.

Jake Berry says Boris Johnson, who he is backing in the Conservative leadership campaign, is the answer to our calls for proper devolution and an end to decades of economic imbalance.

Mr Berry was responding to our sister title the Manchester Evening News’ ‘power up the north’ cam

divide. With nominations now closed in the Tory party contest to succeed Theresa May – and with the prospect of a general election in the near future – every day of dither and delay risks leaving the North at an even greater disadvantage.

The case for fundamental change is now unanswerable and our political leaders must commit to real change.

As well as what we’re calling for above, we also want the next PM to elevate the post of Northern Powerhouse minister - held by Rossendale MP paign, launched in collaboration with more than 30 northern newspapers.

It argues patience has run out in the region, after years of demands for more power and fair funding.

As a result we are calling for a genuine revolution in the way government treats our communities, including delivery on a raft of broken transport promises, massive investment in housing and skills, serious, coherent devolution and a broader shift away from focusing investment on London and the south east.

We are also urging the government to ensure the post-Brexit pot designed to replace EU cash - known as Jake Berry - to cabinet status, with full powers, as a signal that they intend to take this region seriously.

But more fundamentally, we need a seachange in the way our country is run, after decades of being treated as an after-thought, if at all.

Leaders locally are trying to close those gaps with one hand tied behind their backs. For too long, the vast majority of decisions have been taken hundreds of miles away.

Regional inequalities between London and the rest of the country are not only vividly apparent in everything from life expectancy to transport investment and wages, but they are also felt, keenly, by people here. The Free Press and other newspapers are not alone in demanding change.

Lord Michael Heseltine, a former deputy Prime Minister, believes our towns and cities now need the ‘shared prosperity fund’ - is handed out on the same criteria as it was by the EU, in long-term settlements to local leaders best placed to decide how it is spent.

Separate analysis today suggested that were this not to be the case, the north west could lose £166m over six years, if the cash is allocated according to the government’s usual Treasury methods.

Apparently responding on behalf of Boris Johnson’s leadership bid, Mr Berry said he supported the campaign.

“The Power Up The North campaign is exactly what we need - showcasing the North’s great ambition and ‘the powers and funding to develop long-term visions, in collaboration with local people’ if we are to tackle inequality.

Former civil service head and ex-Sheffield city council chief executive Lord Bob Kerslake made the same point in a damning criticism of government policymaking two weeks ago, when he highlighted 50 years of ‘unstated bias’ towards London. His provocative comparison to the economic divide Germany found itself faced with following the fall of the Berlin Wall also points to the need for serious political willpower. Britain’s major parties and aspiring premiers are now duty-bound to confirm whether they share One North’s vision for a prosperous and fairer future for everyone.

Our demand is not new, but the imperative for it to be heard has never been more urgent. potential, and what can be achieved with the right support,” he said.

“The vital upgrades we were promised at Piccadilly Station are ‘ running five years behind’ - because Chris Grayling has been going round in circles”

“As Northern Powerhouse Minister, I fully back this campaign.

“What is being called for reflects what I have been working so hard to achieve, and what our new Prime Minister needs to prioritise. That’s why I’m backing Boris Johnson to be our next Prime Minister.

“Boris recognises the power of regional economies and is passionate ●● We are calling on the main political parties to outline their plans to close the north/south divide about backing the Northern Powerhouse. I know he will deliver for the whole country.”

Pushed on whether that meant Mr Johnson was committing to a regional infrastructure fund, major devolution and a continuation of the current EU funding formula, which is intended to focus on deprived areas, a spokeswoman said he would be ‘sharing more information on his plans throughout the campaign’.

But she pointed to an article in which he argued local politicians should get ‘the right powers and incentives’ to encourage growth, adding that the government ●● Jake Berry, Northern Powerhouse minister and Rossendale MP