A think tank set up to promote the interests of the North East and Cumbria is calling on the Government to consider the North in the upcoming Budget.
True North said it had engaged with business leaders and as a result, is asking for three measures it believes can improve the economic performance of the region and close the gap with other English regions.
It wants:
- More investment in transport infrastructure in the region
- A Skills Challenge for the True North
- A Business Accelerator Package for The True North
It said the Government’s decision to remove the Development Consent Order for the A1 has created fierce reaction across the region.
True North chairman John Stevenson called for transport investment and said: “Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said economic growth is her number one priority and we need all regions to grow.
“Large scale projects like dualling the A1 and A69 will in themselves create economic activity, will connect the region and create the infrastructure for much better economic performance.
“This must be a priority for any Government serious about growth.”
A Skills Challenge for the True North would be based on the London Education of the 2000s.
It believes that further devolution of the skills agenda to the region would support the New Deal for North East Workers of mayor McGuinness and North East Combined Authority.
Mr Stevenson added: “We need more devolution to tailor a package to what is really needed here but we must also accept that some regions need radical measures to address decades of underperformance.
“Our proposals for a Skills Challenge and a Business Accelerator package can really shift the dial.”
True North is also calling for tax advantages specific to the region to encourage businesses to invest in their people, to invest in research and development and for entrepreneurs to invest profits back into their own and other businesses.
It said this sort of diAerential approach worked well in Germany on reunification where the diAerence in GDP per capital between East and West was less than it is
now between the True North and London and the South East. Southern US states like Texas are currently using it to compete with traditional powerhouses like California.
