Member Article

NECC backs One North plan

Six Chambers of Commerce, including the NECC, have written to George Osborne, backing proposals included in the One North plan.

The letter was signed by the chief executives of the North East Chamber of Commerce, Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, Liverpool & Sefton Chambers of Commerce, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

One North was launched in July and proposes significant investment in transport and connectivity infrastructure over the next 16 years.

It received a positive welcome from the Chancellor, who indicated he would respond to the proposals in his Autumn Statement, due on December 3.

NECC Chief Executive, James Ramsbotham, said: “Our members are very much behind the principle of improved connectivity across the North of England, which will unlock the huge assets within the northern economy.

“A united northern chambers network stands ready to work with our local authorities and the Government to ensure this initiative delivers benefits across the North and meets businesses’ expectations.

“The local authorities that have pushed the project to this point must be congratulated. Infrastructure in the North has been under-developed for decades and addressing this is essential to achieve economic rebalancing and create the ‘northern powerhouse’ that Government has spoken of.

“While transport is by no means our members’ sole concern, it is consistently a high priority across all of our organisations. We therefore urge progress to ensure the opportunity to deliver these investments is not missed.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .