Image - John Foehner
London, Birmingham and Manchester are England’s biggest cities. In turn, Whitehall prioritizes development in their regions, with Manchester especially being dubbed the “capital of the north”. On the other hand, the entire Northeast region is deprioritized.
Currently, Northeast residents believe they’ve been left behind by the government, but with more strategically focused efforts their economy can fulfil its doubted potential. Despite sharing industrial pasts and a northern background, the Northwest – with Manchester at its helm – has ended up very different.
As of 2024, the Northeast has a population of 2,047,820. Their economy relies on the tertiary sector, as Human health and social work; and Wholesale and Retail Trade were the two sectors that were greater than 10% of employment routes, 16 and 13.6% respectively. However, their economy struggles with education and economic activity. They are the worst performing region in GDP per capita at £28,583, with employment rate at 68.3%. As a result, households in the region face a double burden: lower average wages and a higher chance of being out of work.
These economic difficulties are mirrored and compounded by systemic issues in education. The North East consistently records the lowest rates of educational attainment in England, ranking last for the proportion of students achieving top GCSE and A-Level grades, as well as the number of residents educated to undergraduate level or above.
In comparison the Northwest performs significantly better. Their GDP per capita is 3rd highest at £35,635, and they're the 7th best region in employment rate, at 73.2%. Impressively the Northwest is often the best performing northern region. Educationally, it’s the 5th best region for GCSE and A-Level results and 4th for the proportion of residents educated to undergraduate level or above.
Despite the massive population difference, both regions have a similar demographic makeup. A near equal percentage of ageing citizens (50+) to their total population, a younger population that tends to live in urban centres, an economic past that previously relied on manufacturing. Most significantly, both regions are labour dominated; the Northeast more so.
The Northwest outperforms the northeast in virtually every metric. They face unified complaints of Whitehall ignoring the north, but what have they done differently?
The key figure behind the Northwest’s success is Andy Burnham, inaugural Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2016. He has utilised a devolved government to have greater influence on regional development rather than be held back by Whitehall.
One of his major accomplishments is improving public transport. He implemented the Bee Network, a London inspired bus system, with a £2 fare cap to make travel cheaper and easier as well as improving tram and rail services. Recently, he won a court case to bring buses back into public ownership – a massive win for all English residents as most buses are privatised. Furthermore, unemployment has annually decreased because of his focus on employee health. Workwell, which he co-leads, is an organisation that help workers to stay in, or return to, employment by providing a support structure and employment policies that are not punitive – which he’s criticised the government for. He has also prioritised education for all ages, utilising the University of Manchester’s globally renowned reputation to import and retain skilled workers. Manchester has the 2nd highest retention rate after London in England.
Burnham has a strategic, long-term mindset that is trusted to persist even if he’s replaced. He vows to end homelessness by 2038, make Manchester a leading green economy, and turn his region into an economic powerhouse that rivals London. None of this was possible by himself, as the mayor of Liverpool’s Steve Rotherham and other MPs have not only followed the same path of devolution. but also cooperate on cross-city projects that benefit the entire region. Overall Manchester had the highest GVA of any English city between 2004-2023. What can the North East learn from this?
Devolution is not new to the Northeast. In 2004, 77% of voters rejected then deputy PM John Prescott’s push for an autonomous elected regional assembly in favour of maintaining the status quo – a series of unelected regional bodies.
A combination of Tony Blair overlooking the Northeast and a powerful campaign by Northeast Says No, who argued that devolution will divide the country via unnecessary expenses and more politicians, is what swayed voters. The group fundamentally misrepresented devolution, which is about allowing regions to tackle local problems in their own way.
With tragic irony, the Northeast is more divided than ever and lacks a unified political voice. Prior to 2024, governance was fragmented. The North of Tyne and Tees Valley had a mayor whereas the southern areas did not, limiting collective and individual political voice.
In contrast, the Northwest has had well established devolved governance, elected mayors and a clear city-region government correspondence since the 2010s, streamlining political action. The northwest highlights that devolution can succeed and is necessary to counter Whitehall’s lack of support, and thankfully this hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Like Burnham, there’s a new generation of young, working-class background MPs enacting change.
Kim Mcguinness, born in 1985, has prioritized community as the inaugural mayor of the Northeast. Elected last May, she has used her experience as the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner to address child poverty and violent crime. In September 2024 she set up the country’s first Child Poverty Reduction Unit (CPRU), backed with £500,000 initial investment, to develop an action plan for the region. This includes helping parents to return to work, affordable transport (under £1) fares for citizens under 21, and helping people who face disability and health barriers find and stay in work.
Across her is the Tees Valley mayor since 2017, Ben Houchen. He established himself as a business focused leader that creates economic development via the private sector. A key achievement of his being returning Teeside airport to public ownership and part of a freeport plan. This attracted investments and created jobs.
Adding on, a key long term plan Houchen has is to develop the Teesworks site. This is the UK’s largest industrial zone and Houchen’s transforming it into a centre for green energy projects like offshore wind and hydrogen production. Teesworks marked a new era when it opened its first operational ship in September 2024. This plan has been positively evaluated to position Tees Valley as a domestic leader in green energy, like Burnham’s plans, creating thousands of jobs for years to come.
Houchen’s success is unique because he’s a Conservative politician in a traditionally Labour area. His ability to secure government funding for local projects and collaborate across party lines for the sake of the region has earned him widespread respect.
Behind the spotlight, council leaders are also promoting a sustainable economy. Glen Sanderson and Karen Kilgour, Conservative and Labour leaders of Northumberland County and Newcastle city councils have focused on protecting rural communities while promoting sustainable tourism, tackling wealth inequality, developing carbon neutrality and making their regions hubs for digital industries and green technologies. Kilgour in particular uses her health and social care background to champion social justice initiatives, ensuring Newcastle is a fairer city overall.
Overall a united regional strategy allowed local MPs to coordinate positive change over their environment, because they understand and prioritise their issues more than Whitehall, who are at least 255 miles away. By following a similar path to the North-West, the Northern alliance can create a region that rivals the wealthier and favoured South.
At the heart of it all, the Northeast’s underdevelopment is a consequence of political fragmentation and a distant Whitehall. The contrasting success of Andy Burnham’s Manchester and the Northwest highlights how empowered local leadership is the catalyst for regional growth. The emergence of new figures like Kim McGuiness and Ben Houchen despite political differences, signals a new, collaborative era that prioritises the region’s unique strengths and characteristics from green energy to social justice. For the Northeast to truly succeed it must embrace devolution, creating a unified political voice that will finally command the attention and investment it deserves.
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