The newspapers have run a joint editorial on the issue
Newspaper from across the north of England have come together to run joint frontpages calling on the government to change the way it treats communities outside of London.
The Power Up The North collaboration between 33 newspapers and websites follows the launch of the One North campaign a year ago to combat on-going issues with transport links in the north of England. It is estimated around 15 million people live in the north of England.
Newspapers from all the major cities in the north of England, including Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield, are represented in the list of publications committed to the campaign, including rival outlets in the same city, such as the JPI Media-owned Yorkshire Evening Post and Reach-owned Leeds Live.
The demands listed in the joint run editorials are directed at candidates in the forthcoming Tory leadership campaign and political parties more broadly.
The demands,
per the M.E.N., are for the government to:
- "Deliver a fundamental shift in decision-making out of London, giving devolved powers and self-determination to people in the north."
- "Commit funding immediately to make Northern Powerhouse Rail a national priority."
- "Overhaul the region’s road and rail network as a part of a wider environmental plan, with devolved funding and powers."
- "Put full weight behind a bespoke Industrial Strategy for the north of England to enable every sector of the economy, from manufacturing to farming, to flourish."
- "Make additional investment available for the north’s schools, colleges and universities to boost skills training."
- "Set out a programme to build a new generation of social housing and affordable homes."
- "Accelerate investment in the north’s digital infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, and support creative industries."
- "Commit that the government’s ‘shared prosperity fund’, intended to replace EU structural funding, be fully devolved in long-term tranches to enable strategic decisions of scale rather than areas having to bid in for smaller amounts, piecemeal."
Former deputy prime minister, Lord Michael Heseltine, is also cited by the papers as believing cities outside of London need "the powers and funding to develop long-term visions, in collaboration with local people" in order to tackle the inequality between the capital and the regions.
A full list of papers involved in the campaign
Manchester Evening News; Liverpool Echo; The Yorkshire Post; Yorkshire Evening Post; The Star (Sheffield); The Scarborough News; Harrogate Advertiser; Wakefield Express; Halifax Courier; Dewsbury Reporter series; Lancashire Evening Post; Blackpool Gazette; Wigan Today, including Wigan Observer and Wigan Post; Huddersfield Examiner, including Examiner Live; Leeds Live; Lancs Live; The Journal (Newcastle upon Tyne); Hull Daily Mail; The Chronicle, including Chronicle Live (Newcastle upon Tyne); The Gazette, including Teeside Live (Teeside); Bradford Telegraph & Argus; York Press; Craven Herald & Pioneer; Ilkley Gazette; Keighley News; Wharfedale Gazette; The Mail (Barrow-in-Furness); News and Star (Cumbria); Whitehaven News; Times and Star (Cumbria); The Westmorland Gazette; Hexham Courant; and The Cumberland News.
