Number 10 North: the gauntlet has been laid down for all of the North, we have to run with it

Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s directive to place responsibility for the growth of UK plc with his Number 10 North brainchild should be seen as the gauntlet being laid down for all of the North.

Whilst Whitehall naysayers are scoffing at the prospect, lamenting the perceived loss of power and influence in Whitehall, business and civic leaders from across the north of England must now roll up sleeves and begin coordinating efforts strategically.

For when the time comes, as night follows day it inevitably will, for a change at the top of Downing Street, it is critical that a dossier of evidence is available that demonstrates that which this newspaper has long declared: the north is the solution to the growth challenge this country faces, not the problem.

The mission, now, should mayoralties, chambers of commerce, business improvement districts, innovation parks, universities and colleges et al choose to accept it is to prove we can drive growth. Through a combination of foresight of opportunity, shared endeavour and collective responsibility, we must demonstrate to Chancellor John Healey that far from diluting his brief, this initiative can be an economic dynamo that turbo charges funds available to the Treasury such that more winning bets can be placed on entrepreneurial ambition, in the national interest.

For if the public finances are to be brought under control and good growth, as the Prime Minister puts it, can be fertilised and germinated in every postcode, then whilst it is certainly a challenge, it is also a privileged for the the roots of that growth to be in the soil beneath our feet in the north of England.