Council chief exec highlights Manchester’s ‘active role’ in driving UK growth

After an exciting month for Manchester that saw PM David Cameron give Chinese president Xi Jinping a tour of the city in the hope of boosting the Northern Powerhouse’s presence on the world stage, city council chief exec Sir Howard Bernstein has said that Manchester has an “active role” to play in driving UK-wide growth.

Delivering a keynote speech at a recent cocktail reception hosted by law firm Trowers & Hamlins’ Manchester office, Sir Howard discussed the importance of stimulating growth outside the capital.

He said: “We all realise now that not everything can or should happen in London, and indeed for the UK to achieve its full economic potential, we need to ensure that places like Manchester can play a full and active role in becoming engines of national growth.”

Speaking further, Sir Howard said the North has experienced growth on a “spectacular” level in a number of sectors, such as technology, in addition to seeing its professional services businesses continuing to expand.

He added: “When we talk about the Northern Powerhouse and Manchester’s role in it, it’s really about how those globally distinctive strands can be harnessed in a way that drives economic growth in order to secure a much stronger economic future for the North of England, as well as for the UK.”

Of Manchester’s devolution bid, Sir Howard told attendees: “If everything was fine, we wouldn’t need devolution,” he said. “These are very exciting times for Manchester, and we need to continue to work together as one team.”

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