Member Article

HS3 and The Great Northern Powerhouse

The announcements filling the newswires about HS3 will further fuel the zeal for a northern economic renaissance for coming weeks. The debate to date has hinged on questions following the post-Scottish referendum quest for devolution and transport infrastructure planning.

These are essential ingredients. If the north of England’s patchwork of cities and urban centres are to grow further, better connectivity and opportunities for local self-determination will be critical.

But, as a communications company, we tend to think about the message, how it is deployed, who it is deployed by and indeed the facts of the matter. Unfortunately, neither devolution nor inspiring engineering feats will transform the economies of our northern cities to the timescales we would like. These are complicated legislative and infrastructure projects.

However we believe there are other critical elements which can be put into play now:

1. We need to ensure visibility and awareness of our plethora of talents. There is an abundance of capability for us to take pride in across our northern cities housed in the small and large firms and our universities; all of them solid stories that need to be told. The economy of the north is a connected patchwork of firms, clusters and capabilities; whether it is advanced manufacturing and metallurgy in Sheffield; tech in Leeds; medical technology in Manchester; or energy gateways in Hull, there are strong reasons for investment and optimism.
2. Too often the UK’s story to the world is one of sport, heritage, or London-centric financial or start up alchemy. This is a strong message to the world, generally well-delivered and indeed it works! The UK is a top tier destination for internationally mobile students, investors, tourists and entrepreneurs. However, there is a fuller story to tell that stretches beyond the Thames Valley and Watford Gap; opportunities for knowledge development and value creation. The universities of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield alone graduate some of the best engineers, scientists and skilled professionals in the UK creating a reservoir of talent to support business growth.
3. But the ball needs to be put in play. We might have the assets, the honed pitch, have a clear plan for infrastructure enhancement. Standing ahead of all this though is the need for unity and drive. A clear unified plan for meeting the ambition and delivering the growth across the north we are all looking to see.

At Counter Context, we work across several cities in the north of England and we fully support the idea of a greater connectivity between these cities. Greater links, communications and cross-city working will benefit local and regional economies and breathe new life into areas both sides of the Pennines and beyond.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Counter Context .