Northern Powerhouse 'could end up like Big Society'

The Northern Powerhouse is "a concept yet to catch fire" that could go the same way as the "Big Society" scheme, a leading politics professor has said.

The claim was made after a BBC-commissioned survey found two-thirds of respondents either had not heard of, or knew nothing about the powerhouse.

The Northern Powerhouse policy attempts to redress the north/south divide and attract investment to the north.

Some businesses said the plan is already helping win export contracts.

Professor Jon Tonge, from Liverpool University, said: "It is a concept yet to catch fire. I wonder if it will head the same way as the Big Society. Who remembers that?

"The problem is it is only a concept. It is also offset by huge cuts to the councils in the north.

"Even those who have heard of it are cynical. Those who haven't heard of it think at most it's the idea of a concept - where is the clear plan?"

The ComRes survey for the BBC suggested 44% had never heard of the policy while 20% had heard of it but know nothing about it.

In Sheffield, Paul Firth, regional managing partner of Irwin Mitchell solicitor said he was "quite surprised" at the low awareness of the powerhouse.

He said: "The government clearly has a great deal to do to improve the way it has communicated the initiative and also the benefits that are associated with it."

A report the firm published earlier this year highlighted issues "particularly in relation to whether George Osborne's plans will actually work".

Mr Firth said tackling the north/south divide "isn't going to be easy".

He added: "The current proposals will improve output and job creation in the north, but not at the same rate as in London.

"We believe that expansion in London is a positive thing, but we don't want it to be at the expense of other cities in the UK."

Matthew Kimpton-Smith, chief executive of Cygnet Group in Northwich which assembles and sells machinery for carbon fibre manufacture, said the Northern Powerhouse brand is "really helping" the firm sell itself to export clients, with 30% of trade with China.

"For us as an exporter and a manufacturer, pulling together the best of the north west and the north east and packaging it up as a whole really helps our cause when we sell ourselves in China, in the Middle East," he said.

He described Cheshire as the "gateway" to the powerhouse and potentially "it can be at the heart of it".

But Southport Lib Dem MP John Pugh said the branding is "far stronger than the delivery."

Mr Pugh said there had to be a fair funding system.

Frank McKenna, a Labour councillor on West Lancashire district council said: "For many years now it's a fact London and the south east has overheated and Liverpool and the north has been left out."

He said he was "surprised" 56% knew about it because the "discussion and debate" is so focussed on politicians.

He said skills, training, education, transport and infrastructure were among the key issues to be addressed.

ComRes interviewed 1,003 adults in the North of England by telephone in October 2015. Data was weighted to be representative of all adults aged 18+ by age, gender, region and social grade.