In an open letter coordinated by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP), senior executives and entrepreneurs from across the North’s infrastructure, education, professional services and manufacturing sectors have made the case that NPR is essential to realising the North’s economic potential.

The letter – signed by figures including Rami Baitiéh, CEO of Morrisons and Chris Oglesby, CEO of Bruntwood & Bruntwood SciTech – argues that building a new high-speed line from Liverpool through Manchester, Bradford and Leeds, with onward connections to Sheffield, Newcastle and Hull, will transform connectivity and productivity in the North.

“Northern Powerhouse Rail is the answer,” the letter states. “It would put 3.8 million more northerners within 90 minutes of four or more northern cities, more than double the number of people who can reach Manchester Airport within 90 minutes, and add £14.4bn in GVA annually by 2060.”

The signatories stress that this investment would create jobs, attract private investment and drive regeneration, while providing confidence to developers and employers that the North’s infrastructure ambitions are being realised.

The letter adds that NPR should be “radically different to HS2” – developed from the bottom up in partnership with local government and business, using innovative delivery models and focusing on regeneration, housing and growth outcomes first and foremost.

Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said:

“It is welcome that the Chancellor and Transport Secretary remain publicly committed to investing in better connectivity across the Pennines. Furthermore, there is no more committed supporter of the long-term opportunity of the North to contribute more to growth of the UK than the Prime Minister himself.”

“The business community is committed to a way forward which matches the available resources to a prioritised plan. We will continue to work constructively to get a solution that whether it be in Bradford, Liverpool or Sheffield ensures they benefit from improvements and new lines where necessary to maximise the benefits and further to the existing investment going on electrification and upgrades between Manchester, Leeds and beyond towards the North East.”

The full letter can be read here:

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The contents of the letter outlines the Humber’s economic significance and the challenges it faces. The region plays a critical role in the UK’s renewable energy transition, and the letter warns that without stronger coordination and advocacy, it may struggle to secure government support and investment compared to other industrial clusters.

It is signed by key business figures from the region, including:

• Richard Gwilliam, Chair of the Humber Energy Board
• Professor Dave Petley, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull
• Peter Stephenson, Executive Chair of Able
• Andrew Dawes, Regional Director for the Humber, Association of British Ports
• Suzanne Lowe, Vice President, Air Products Plc
• Nikki West, SVP HR for Corporate Services and Head of Global Talent, Smith-Nephew

They advocate for the creation of a Humber Estuary Growth Zone to capitalise on the Humber Freeport’s potential and present a unified proposition to global investors. They also propose establishing an Invest Humber Estuary body to oversee infrastructure improvements and strengthen the skills pipeline for industries such as offshore wind, carbon capture, and advanced manufacturing. Candidates for Metro Mayor are being urged to include commitments to these initiatives in their election manifestos.

The letter also raises concerns about the economic risks facing the region, including uncertainty around the future of British Steel’s Scunthorpe operations, which could result in significant job losses. Conversely, a strategic and unified approach to investment could create tens of thousands of jobs and unlock up to £15 billion in private sector funding for decarbonisation efforts.

While recent government announcements have prioritised investment in other industrial clusters, the Humber was not mentioned in the Chancellor’s growth speech. Business leaders caution that without action ahead of this summer’s Comprehensive Spending Review, private sector interest in industrial decarbonisation may decline, making government backing even more critical.

The letter concludes:

“We are remarkable and it is our time to be revolutionary. Keeping the lights on for the nation as we have for decades. Making real the potential of Immingham and Grimsby. Making real the potential of Hull. Making real the potential of Goole. Making real the potential of Scunthorpe. Disagree disagreeably about everything else, but this promise for the Humber is one we can’t afford you not to make.”

Full letter:

Dear candidate,

We write to you as some of the leading employers from both Yorkshire, and from Lincolnshire. From the North Bank, and from the South Bank. From both sides of the estuary we share – the Humber.  

We are wealth creators – and even more importantly, job creators. The government has set a Growth Mission for the country – and it is one which we all believe matters more here, more than anywhere else in the country. We have a steel works on the brink of closing its blast furnaces – with thousands of jobs in the balance and a new era of an electric arc furnace in our grasp. We have the chance to create tens of thousands more jobs in the energy sector, supporting the economy of the wider North of England, delivering 28GW of offshore wind renewable energy and £15bn of private sector investment for Carbon Capture and Storage and hydrogen alone to decarbonise our industry. This will keep industry thriving and growing in the Humber and replace any job losses from the steel works.

What unites us is our commitment to improving the lives of people in some of the country’s most deprived communities—individuals with remarkable potential and a drive to succeed. If successful, you will take on a significant and vital role—one that, unlike other Combined Authority areas, carries an added responsibility. You will need to champion what is best for our Estuary, a shared opportunity that demands true collaboration with a counterpart who may be familiar or entirely new to you, and whose identity you cannot predict in advance.

We stand ready to support you and ask that you commit to backing the Humber Estuary, ensuring it gets the coordinated focus it needs. This, in turn, will give you more time and equivalent resources to invest in places like Beverley or Lincoln—equally important but distinct, requiring separate, tailored plans to deliver effectively as Mayor.

The Energy Estuary needs a Humber Estuary Growth Zone, maximising the potential of the Freeport and aligning with other development sites from both sides of this Estuary. We need one front door when investors from around the world come knocking. We need the port and land infrastructure planned and delivered, so ambitious local businesses can join with inward investors and get on with the job at hand. We need to have the right skills when we need them, and innovation to support the growth here, everything from advanced manufacturing railway rolling stock, to offshore wind turbine installation and servicing.

As the private sector, we must play our part. That’s why we support Invest Humber Estuary—to unite the next Mayor, regardless of who wins, with both the private and public sectors. We urge you to do the same in your manifestos. Our region has lagged behind smaller, less economically significant areas simply because we haven’t had the right institutions to match our potential and build on our strong foundations. This has let our people down.

We are remarkable and it is our time to be revolutionary. Keeping the lights on for the nation as we have for decades. Making real the potential of Immingham and Grimsby. Making real the potential of Hull. Making real the potential of Goole. Making real the potential of Scunthorpe. Disagree disagreeably about everything else, but this promise for the Humber is one we can’t afford you not to make.

Yours sincerely,

Signatories include:

Richard Gwilliam UK BECCS Programme Director, Drax Group Plc & Chair, Humber Energy Board

Peter Stephenson Executive Chairman, Able UK Ltd

Dave Petley Vice Chancellor, University of Hull

Ian Aldous Director UK North, Mace Group

Paul Fursey Lead Executive UK, General Manager Humber Refinery, Phillips 66

Richard Jones Northern Cities Executive, Arcadis

Suzanne Lowe Vice President, Air Products Plc

Nikki West SVP HR for Corporate Services and Head of Global Talent, Smith-Nephew

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Providing an evidence-based framework for unlocking synergies between the UK’s innovation clusters, the report presents a transformative vision around Connected Clusters. By emphasising regional strengths and promoting collaboration, it is a credible plan to ensure the UK remains globally competitive while driving growth that benefits each region and no longer plays the old Treasury game of claiming that growth in one place is simply displaced from another.

The report will be launched at the Festival of Flourishing Regions, an event dedicated to exploring the role of regional collaboration in driving economic growth and innovation across the UK. Bringing together policymakers, business leaders, academics, and local stakeholders, the festival provides a platform to share insights and discuss strategies for inclusive and sustainable development. The launch of the Connected Clusters report highlights the importance of fostering stronger links between innovation hubs to maximise economic opportunities across all regions.

Five Drivers of Connected Growth

The Growing Together 2025 Report identifies five core drivers essential to achieving connected and inclusive growth:

1. Connected People (Talent and Skills):
   Access to talent and skills is identified as a key factor in encouraging innovative companies to establish multiple UK locations. Recommendations include mapping talent pools in regional clusters, expanding access to the innovation economy with devolved skills funding, benchmarking visa costs, and supporting collaborative projects that connect regional talent pools.
2. Connected Places (Transport):
   Physical connectivity is critical for collaboration, economic productivity, and growth. Our report calls for investment in key infrastructure projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, East West Rail, and HS2 to Euston, as well as incorporating connectivity goals into the UK’s Ten-Year Infrastructure Plan.
3. Connected Capital (Innovation Funding):
   Increasing domestic innovation capital is vital to prevent companies from relocating overseas. Our suggested interventions include boosting government-curated VC funds, expanding place-based seed funding initiatives like Northern Gritstone, increasing R&D investment to 3.5% of GDP, and supporting regional R&D spending targets set by local leaders.
4. Connected Leadership (Devolution):
   Empowering local leaders through greater fiscal devolution and more extensive decision-making powers is essential for fostering economic collaboration. The report highlights the need for strategic planning, restructuring Local Government, and incorporating deeper fiscal flexibility to align policies with regional economic geographies.
5. Connected Cultures (Placemaking):
   A vibrant culture of innovation and high quality of life are critical to attracting and retaining talent. Our Alliance recommends cross-regional engagement to build collaborative networks, promoting affordable housing, and considering cultural and social infrastructure in regional development plans.

Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, said:

“Economic growth in the UK has long been hampered by policies that fail less productive places outside London and the South East. The government’s focus on growth presents an opportunity to unlock the potential of cities and towns through the industrial strategy, devolution, and skills policies. Successful policies will recognise that growth is a positive-sum game, and that regions do not thrive at the expense of each other.”

Dan Thorp, CEO, Cambridge Ahead, said:

“The Chancellor’s announcements today make it crystal clear that the innovation economy is at the heart of Government’s growth mission. The OxCam region has an unrivalled contribution to make to this mission, the growth that infrastructure and housing makes possible in places like Cambridge is truly net additional to the UK.

“The new research published by the Growing Together Alliance today provides a plan to ensure the success of places like Cambridge can contribute even more to the success of other cities and regions in the UK, spreading the creation of jobs to more places, and making a meaningful and lasting difference to regional economic success across all corners of the country.”

Dr Kath Mackay, Chief Scientific Officer for at Bruntwood SciTech, the UK’s largest property platform dedicated to the growth of the science, technology and innovation sectors with locations across Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham, Cambridge & London, said:

“The Growing Together 2025 Report makes a compelling case for addressing the deep-rooted regional imbalances in R&D funding, which are holding back the full potential of the UK’s innovation economy. While increasing public investment in underrepresented regions like the North is essential, we need to ensure this is also carefully balanced to not cut support to the Golden Triangle.

“For too long, regions such as the North have faced barriers to realising their full potential due to imbalanced public funding. This report builds on critical insights from previous research, which has highlighted that uplifting per capita public R&D spending to match the levels seen in London, the South East, and East of England would require at least £4 billion annually, with £1.6 billion needed in the North of England alone.[1]

“By devolving a proportion of R&D funding and building capacity for regions to manage these resources, we can ensure solutions that reflect local strengths. Simultaneously, by increasing the UK’s overall R&D intensity we can provide the necessary uplift to avoid a zero-sum game and allow all regions to grow together.”

Chris Curtis MP, Co-Chair of the Labour Growth Group said:

“Backing for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc demonstrates the Government’s commitment to driving national growth by unlocking untapped regional potential. This report shows how the benefits can be compounded by fostering and connecting these clusters right across the country, doing so by pooling the expertise of business communities on the ground.

“Most importantly it provides solutions that are ready-made for the Government to implement. The Labour Growth Group will be looking closely at these recommendations and working with the Growing Together Alliance to ensure the whole country plays its part in our vital mission to bring growth back to Britain, and share in the rewards of that.”

About the Growing Together Alliance

Currently the membership of the Growing Together Alliance –  BusinessLDN, Business South, Business West, Cambridge Ahead, Northern Powerhouse Partnership and the North West Busin

ess Leadership Team – are all from the English regions. This may expand in the future to include other similar organisations from England or the other nations of the UK.

About the Festival of Flourishing Regions

The Festival of Flourishing Regions is an annual event dedicated to exploring the potential of regional collaboration to drive economic growth and innovation across the UK. The festival brings together policymakers, business leaders, academics, and local stakeholders to share insights, showcase success stories, and discuss strategies for achieving inclusive and sustainable development. Through panels, workshops, and networking opportunities, the festival aims to inspire action and foster partnerships that contribute to the prosperity of all UK regions. This year, the festival features the unveiling of the Growing Together Alliance’s Connected Clusters report, highlighting the importance of innovation clusters in driving regional economic transformation.

About BusinessLDN  

At BusinessLDN, our mission is to make London the best city in the world in which to do business, working with and for the whole UK. 

We work to deliver the bigger picture, campaigning to tackle today’s challenges and to secure the future promise of London. We harness the power of our members, from sectors that span the economy, to shape the future of the capital so Londoners thrive and businesses prosper. We support business to succeed — locally, nationally, globally. 

We campaigned for the creation of the office of London Mayor and Transport for London, for the Elizabeth Line, for congestion charging, we incubated Teach First and run the UK’s largest annual jobs and careers fair, Skills London. We create opportunities for our members, from sharing insights to providing platforms, from making introductions to finding new talent. 

About Business South
Business South is an independent, business-led organisation with a vision to sustainably grow and strengthen the economy of the Central South, the UK’s global gateway.

We are working with major businesses based in the Central South, which has a population of more than 2.7m people. We want the region to be recognised nationally and internationally as a preferred location for investment. We want to illustrate that we are a place that is able to attract and retain talent, while driving increased opportunities for innovation and economic development.

Together we work with more than 100 businesses and organisations, who between them employ 100,000 people and contribute an estimated £4 billion to the regional economy.

About Business West
Business West is a certified B Corp that exists to create long-term prosperity for our businesses and our region. We help companies grow, innovate and export. We have a proven track record of connecting people, public bodies and private companies, to nurture a more productive and inclusive business landscape. We drive business forward.

At national level, as a key player in the British Chamber of Commerce we sit at the heart of a powerful network of 52 Accredited Chambers of Commerce across the UK, representing thousands of businesses of all sizes and within all sectors. Our Global Business Network connects exporters with nearly 40 markets around the world.  

www.linkedin.com/company/business-west

About Cambridge Ahead
Cambridge Ahead is a consortium of businesses and academic members who share a common goal in achieving sustainable and inclusive growth for Cambridge and the surrounding area. Its purpose is to be a catalyst for the success of Cambridge and quality of life across the city region. Cambridge Ahead is comprised of 50 members, including Arm, Sanofi, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and the University of Cambridge, and represents a working population of approximately 40,000 individuals across a variety of sectors and industries.

About Northern Powerhouse Partnership
The Northern Powerhouse Partnership is a business-led think tank and advocacy group for the North of England which fosters collaboration between local and national government. We work together to deliver sustainable growth and improve quality of life for those living and working here.

About North West Business Leadership Team
For over 30 years we have brought together senior leaders in and of the North West to harness the positive power of business for the good of the region. We are an independent business voice, connecting and helping to shape opportunities to drive positive change. Our mission is to ensure our region is a great place to live, work and do good business, seeking to lead, inspire, and harness the power of business by placing the needs of communities and all people at the heart of what we do. https://www.nwblt.com/

[1] Tom Forth, Open Data Institute Leeds Richard A.L. Jones, University of Manchester May 2020 Tom Forth, Open Data Institute Leeds Richard A.L. Jones, University of Manchester

Read the full report below:

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Key Findings:

• Widening Gap: Between 2019 and 2023, attainment among long-term disadvantaged children—those eligible for FSM for four years—declined, while attainment for those never on FSM improved. The attainment gap has grown from 1.30 grades in 2019 to 1.56 grades in 2023, representing the difference between a ‘4’ (standard pass) and a ‘5’ (strong pass).
• Ethnic Disparities: The disadvantage gap remains three times larger for White Irish, White British, and White pupils compared to Gypsy/Roma, Chinese, and Bangladeshi groups in both 2019 and 2023.

A coalition including NPP, SHINE, Tutor Trust and the Centre for Young Lives is urging the government to reform the Pupil Premium to address this growing inequality. Specifically, they propose:

• Increasing the primary Pupil Premium from £1,455 to £1,693 per pupil.
• Increasing the secondary Pupil Premium from £1,035 to £1,218 per pupil.
• Introducing a long-term disadvantage top-up of £308 for primary pupils and £255 for secondary pupils.
• Extending Pupil Premium support to 16-19-year-old students in further education, at a cost of approximately £290 million annually.

Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said:

“As a coalition of the leading northern focused organisations we want a better deal for all the poorest children, locked in persistent poverty, not only here but across England.”

“The Education Policy Institute has brought forward a number of options for reform including for pupil premium to be restored it to its previous real terms value with a top up for persistently poor children, which alongside support for those in colleges and sixth forms is a billion pound package. The falling numbers of children on primary school rolls means we have the chance to make this choice – to ringfence these available funds for those who need them most from early years to the end of compulsory education.”

“We must act now with financial commitment in the Comprehensive Spending Review to give us a chance to meaningfully close the disadvantage gap over the coming ten years.”

Fiona Spellman, CEO of SHINE (Support and Help IN Education), said:

“It is deeply concerning to see that the attainment gap between persistently disadvantaged pupils and their peers is continuing to grow. This report should be a call to action for the government to ensure schools serving the most disadvantaged pupils get the resources and backing they need.”

Read and download the full report here:

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Data shows that 24.2% of the working-age population in the North are economically inactive, compared to just 19.5% in London and the greater South East. In areas such as Middlesbrough (29.2%) and Blackpool (28.4%), this figure is even higher. These levels of inactivity are contributing to the long-term productivity gap between the North and the South.

While the new government has made significant investments in infrastructure, such as Northern Powerhouse Rail and Great British Energy, NPP’s new analysis stresses that it is just as important to address the root causes of this economic inactivity. These causes include ill health and poor educational outcomes, which are creating significant pressure on both local and national government finances.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has projected that spending on healthcare and benefits will increase over the coming decades because of an ageing population and worsening health. Our analysis shows that by prioritising prevention, reducing chronic conditions and improving life expectancy, the government could ease future pressures on the public purse. A “better health scenario” could lower the primary deficit by 2.1% of GDP by 2073, while also reducing national debt by 44% in the same period.

Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said:

“The previous government’s failure to tackle economic inactivity and the performance of our persistently disadvantaged children in education will have negative consequences for both productivity and the cost of local and national government spending for decades.”

“We are encouraged by the direction of this new government, particularly the approach of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who are prioritising prevention to reduce the burden of ill-health on both the NHS and the economy. Now, this must be matched by long-term investment in transformative projects like Northern Powerhouse Rail, as well as addressing the disparities that exist in education and in those excluded from the labour market including through ill health.”

“The North has the potential to play a greater role in driving productivity growth — but that will only happen if we break from the short-termism of the past. By doing so, the Government can deliver real change through targeted investment and local empowerment, with Mayors’ new single settlements needing to be focused on these challenges.”

Notes:

• According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 24.2% of the working-age population in the Northern Powerhouse is economically inactive, compared to 19.5% in London and the greater South East.
• In Middlesbrough, 29.2% of the population aged 16-64 was economically inactive in 2023, while in Blackpool, the figure was 28.4%.
• Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Labour Market Overview, UK: October 2024.

Read the full report here:

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