Fairer bus system and infrastructure investments can help region level up, Turner & Townsend roundtable is told

The Yorkshire Post and the Leeds-based global consultancy Turner & Townsend staged a roundtable debate which featured some of the biggest names from business and politics.

The event, which was held at Aspire in Leeds and chaired by Greg Wright, The Yorkshire Post's deputy business editor, considered the practical steps necessary to make "levelling up" a reality.

Alexis Krachai, the interim co-chief executive of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, said the focus must be on how can we earn more power to be responsible for our own localities.

He added: "We all know that power is over-centralised. Too often when engaging with central government it feels a bit like a parent having a conversation with a child. Too often local leaders are asking for something or asking for permission. A lot of this is because of local and national weaknesses in our leadership structures.”

"With high quality local leadership you have more ability to pull levers confidently. We must build a leadership model that you can take to the Treasury which will build confidence.”

"The Chambers of Commerce need to be hard-wired into the leadership of our cities. In Sheffield we are working hard to earn that responsibility and to show we can be trusted."

Mr Krachai also highlighted inequalities in healthcare.

He added: "The life expectancy of somebody living on a single bus route can vary by 10 years. A healthier economy drives healthier communities."

Ralph Pickles, Vice Chair for the IOD in Yorkshire and the North East, said investment in “sunrise” industries could play a major role in delivering the Government’s levelling up agenda, but the North is still affected by decisions taken in the 1980s to focus on the City at the expense of Northern manufacturers.

Mr Pickles, who chairs and invests in early stage companies, highlighted the impact on the North’s economy from the decline of British industry in the decades following the Second World War.

He added: “Levelling down has taken many decades and we can expect levelling up to take some time.

“British manufacturing industry after the Second World War was badly managed and suffered under investment. By the 1980s much of the northern manufacturing base was uneconomic and the feeling at the time appeared to be that all we needed was income from the City. Jobs disappeared, primarily from the North.

“At the IOD we feel there is a need to encourage more research and development support and in the sunrise industries in the North, because too much of it has been focused on the South. We need policies to encourage lifetime training and education in the skills needed in the next 20 years to encourage investment in the  North.

“Transport infrastructure and connectivity also play an important role. Industry clusters drive growth in Silicon Valley and in Cambridge. The North is not sufficiently connected yet.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said an integrated bus system had a pivotal role to play in "levelling up" because you have "got to get talent to opportunity".

However, she said the current bus network in West Yorkshire was broken and this was having a harmful impact on the economy.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is currently in the process of investigating the potential of bringing bus services back under public control in a franchising model already due to be introduced in Greater Manchester from 2023.

Ms Brabin said her vision for West Yorkshire’s bus network was a “fairer system” with capped fares where customers "tap in and tap out".

Ms Brabin believes a 21st century rail system should also connect talent to more jobs, better opportunities and brighter futures.

She said action was also needed over climate change to reduce the threat of flooding.

"I really get how culture can help in levelling up,'' she added. "Channel 4 is the jewel in the crown for levelling up."

Mike Briffett, President of Leeds Chamber of Commerce, who is a chartered surveyor with Clarion Housing Group, said, levelling up must mean creating opportunity and a more resilient economy.

"Talent is based everywhere, but whether you succeed can depend on where you're born and who your role models are.