Deputy Prime Minister speech at Convention of the North
The DPM gave the keynote address at the event in Lancashire.
Thank you everyone, it鈥檚 an absolute pleasure to be here at the Convention of the North again.鈥
I apologise if I go too Northern for you, but it鈥檚 good to be back in this region, and it is great to be here in Preston.鈥
A year ago, I was stood in front of this same Convention at Leeds Dock 鈥 talking about the change this country so desperately needs.鈥疉 lot has changed!鈥
But just like last year, we鈥檙e meeting today on the spot of real Northern success.鈥
For two centuries, this university has opened its doors. Not just for students across the country, but for the people of the proud city too.鈥
Over those last two centuries, this mill town 鈥 just like the rest of the North 鈥 has seen entire industries rise and fall.鈥
Today, as I look out towards our fantastic Northern leaders, businesses and innovators, I want you to know that I am determined to fight for a future that鈥檚 brighter and more ambitious.聽
Just over 6 months ago, this government was elected to deliver change.鈥疘 know that the North is as impatient as anyone for that change 鈥 as I am too.鈥
The gears of change haven鈥檛 always been well-oiled, in fact, a decade of decline has seen them rusted.鈥 As you work to improve the places you call home, you鈥檙e being resisted by a system that hoards power and investment away from where it needs to be - making regional inequalities worse, and not better.鈥
The truth is that for all the promises of levelling up, central government鈥檚 first instinct is too often to hoard power and hold our economy back.鈥疶oo many decisions affecting too many people are made by too few.鈥 I鈥檓 here to help you break that system, and build a fairer one in its place.鈥
鈥疞ast year I promised this Convention that I would be a Deputy Prime Minister for the North. And working with many of you sat here today, I鈥檓 proud of what we鈥檝e achieved so far.鈥
We鈥檝e taken a hammer to business-as-usual in Whitehall, and within days of getting into government, Labour Secretaries of State were giving up newly won powers for the sake of our towns and cities, with the Prime Minister leading the charge.鈥疘t has not been comfortable!鈥疊ut it wasn鈥檛 supposed to be.鈥疉fter all, we are undergoing a generational power shift from Whitehall to the town hall.鈥
We鈥檙e putting support for business at the heart of this with funding rolled into integrated settlements. An Office for Investment working with mayors to develop funding opportunities and regional innovation funding.聽聽
In just six short months we are on track to complete devolution in the North.鈥疶his means decisions for the North, will be made by the North. So that Northerners will no longer be dictated to from Whitehall.鈥疉nd this change will be irreversible.鈥疉nd that鈥檚 important, because I know first-hand that decisions are made best by those with skin in the game.鈥
鈥疶hat鈥檚 what our English Devolution White Paper is all about.鈥疦othing less than a total rewiring of power in England.鈥 For all the techy talk of devolution, the goal is simple:鈥 We will give mayors the power to drive growth, to use new levers over planning, housing and regeneration to Get Britain Building.鈥
We are ending the begging bowl culture and giving local leaders flexibility over their spending.鈥疐or the first time in British history, we have created a department-style integrated settlement giving Mayor Parker and Mayor Burnham over a billion pounds in flexible funding.鈥
鈥疉nd next year, I am delighted that Liverpool, the North East, and South and West Yorkshire will all follow.鈥疶his will be a game-changer for families across England, giving mayors the freedom and flexibility to make the right decisions for their place.鈥
鈥疉nd you only need to look at what our Northern mayors are already achieving, to see why this is so important.鈥疛ust look at Mayor Brabin鈥檚 SME Graduate Scheme, keeping homegrown talent in West Yorkshire, and her investment in bus routes getting people to work quicker and cheaper.鈥
Or Mayor Coppard鈥檚 Pathways to Work Commission, putting 10,000 residents in South Yorkshire back to work.鈥疘n York and North Yorkshire, Mayor Skaith is investing millions in high streets, supporting local business to thrive.鈥 Mayor Rotherham is bringing award-winning TV and film productions to Liverpool, with investment in new studios.鈥
The success of our Northern mayors doesn鈥檛 stop there.鈥疘n Greater Manchester, Mayor Burnham鈥檚 Bee Network is making it simpler and more affordable to get the bus and tram.鈥 And further north, Mayor McGuinness has set up the first mayoral child support poverty reduction unit to support families across the North East.鈥
A future for the North, built by those that call it home.鈥疷niting under the banner of Great North and a vision for a new era of Northern cooperation. This isn鈥檛 about pitting place against place.鈥疶his is about understanding what our towns and cities can achieve together.鈥疘t鈥檚 about releasing Britain鈥檚 untapped potential.鈥
And don鈥檛 underestimate the effect of Cabinet Ministers having mayors at the end of the phone.鈥 Let me tell you 鈥 not one of them will shy away from telling us how it is.鈥
It isn鈥檛 by accident that devolution sits in my department.鈥疘t is by design.鈥疊ecause mayors aren鈥檛 just a helpful tool to unlock housing, transport and infrastructure, they are a critical levers in our mission of growth.鈥
Let me tell you why.鈥疉ll of you in this room are trying 鈥 like I am - to get Britain building again.鈥痀es, building houses, but also building your business, building renewable energy, building data centres.鈥
All too often, we are met by a system that says: 鈥渄on鈥檛 bother鈥.鈥疻ell, I am determined to break that system.鈥 And I am handing mayors the sledgehammer!鈥
Earlier this year we published a new national planning framework to break down the barriers to sustainable growth.鈥 And today, I want to share more details on how we will go even further, in our Planning and Infrastructure Bill.鈥
Mayors are at the centre of our plans to build 1.5 million homes, by giving them the powers they need, mayors are an army to take on the blockers.鈥疻e are backing them to work across huge regional geographies to get the job done.鈥疘t鈥檚 why we鈥檙e giving them the powers to call in applications on those large, strategic sites that will really turn the wheel on growth.鈥
And it鈥檚 why we鈥檙e putting grant funding for regeneration and housing in their hands.鈥疶o enable mayors to deliver on their plans, we will forge a stronger partnership between them and Homes England. Over time, we will move Homes England to a more regionalised model so that the agency is even more responsive to the economic plan of an area.鈥
We鈥檝e already committed to strategic authorities for the entire country - but we can鈥檛 waste any time in building the homes we desperately need.鈥疶hat鈥檚 why I can confirm that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill I will introduce to Parliament in the weeks ahead will allow councils without a mayor to come together and set spatial development strategies.鈥
This means bringing forward housebuilding powers as soon as we can.鈥 I think there is huge potential here.鈥疘f we can get building, and boost productivity of just 11 city regions, we could add 拢20.5 billion each year to the Exchequer.鈥疘magine the jobs, opportunities and growth that comes with it.鈥
But devolving powers is only half the plan, if we鈥檙e not matching it with investment, we won鈥檛 see the results.鈥疶he history of our Northern towns and cities is one of great industrialists, and workers who grafted for something better.鈥疉nd it鈥檚 in that same image, that the North today can provide the growth this country needs.鈥
Here in Preston, people have decent jobs to be proud of 鈥 just look at the Eurofighter Typhoon programme.鈥疻e cannot underestimate the impact that business investment like that can have on an area. This is a sector that is critical for our national security, and economic growth.鈥
Over in West Yorkshire, we鈥檙e backing the new Mass Transit Scheme with two hundred million pounds of funding to support its development.鈥疉nyone who expects the businesses of Leeds to meet their economic potential without a proper transport network needs to ask themselves why they expect the North to settle for less.鈥
And as we support the recreation of Doncaster-Sheffield Airport it鈥檚 the job of this government to ask how we can best support our nation鈥檚 regional airports.鈥疶eesside has shown that regional airports can prosper, and now it鈥檚 time to back South Yorkshire too.鈥
Up in Blyth, plans are also being delivered for Europe鈥檚 biggest AI data centre.鈥 These projects are not just about driving growth for the sake of it but driving growth in the places where potential is greatest.鈥疶he places which once built Britain, and once again deserve to be the centres of economic and industrial excellence.鈥
[political content removed] I share the Chancellor鈥檚 determination to review the Green Book to properly recognise the potential of places across the country.鈥疶his means a full review of what it means for a project to be value for money.鈥
Alongside this, our industrial strategy led by the Business Secretary, will see a complete rewiring of the state. The mayors鈥 local growth plans are the bedrock of our industrial strategy, underpinning how we drive growth in every town and city. And finally, harness the great potential of the North.聽
These plans are already underway. Every mayor is working with government to align priorities. Time is of the essence, which is why we鈥檙e wasting no time in publishing local growth plans, setting out these blueprints to deliver the manufacturing and green jobs of the future.鈥
That鈥檚 only part of our efforts to rebalance the economy.鈥疢y Department and the Treasury are working with all strategic mayors with expert units laser-focused on unlocking devolution opportunities in skills, transport, and business support.鈥
And as we kickstart growth, it is only right that the workers who fuel the economy, get back what they put in.鈥疶his government鈥檚 Employment Rights Bill means the biggest upgrade to rights at work in a generation. A bill that takes the very best standards from the very best businesses 鈥 and extends it to millions more workers.鈥
We are clear - better living standards is our number one mission. And we will succeed in our mission when working people can contribute to growth and benefit fairly from it.鈥疘n some of the most deprived parts of the country 鈥 in places across the North - this legislation could save workers up to 拢600 in lost income.鈥
Giving people a stable income, a chance to get a mortgage, putting more money in people鈥檚 pockets which in turn can be spent on the high streets and in local businesses. Boosting town centres and local economies with regenerative effects - this is about building a new route to prosperity from the bottom up, and the middle out, not the top down.聽
Managers and senior decision-makers agree that this bill will boost productivity. Which is good for workers, and good for business.鈥疻e all know that treating workers decently is just what good businesses already do.鈥 We are backing business to level the playing field so that good employers aren鈥檛 undercut.鈥疎ncouraging businesses to compete on quality and innovation in a race to the top.聽
Without our bill, more working days will be lost through ill-health, costing businesses money. Inaction isn鈥檛 an option.鈥疊usinesses have everything to gain from this bill but I recognise it will be a big change which is why where businesses have raised concerns we have listened. It鈥檚 why we introduced a statutory probation period.聽聽
We want businesses to be able to hire with confidence whilst still extending new protections for workers. These are plans which are pro-business, as well as pro-worker, which is why I am hell bent on making work pay.鈥
鈥疉nd just as we鈥檒l leave no worker behind, we鈥檒l also be fighting for every single town, village and estate. Too many neighbourhoods have been underestimated and overlooked for too long.鈥
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When I first stepped into government, we inherited a burnt-out shell that they called levelling up.鈥 It promised to rebalance the North and South. But when I got into government, the truth is, the money didn鈥檛 exist.鈥疶here was this warped idea that all places needed was a lick of paint and a chess board in the park.鈥
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We鈥檙e doing away with the sticking plaster policies of old and working towards national renewal.鈥 To achieve that, we need to start empowering people to drive change in their communities.鈥 And to anyone who doubts this ambition, to anyone who doubts the North, I say that our region has been underestimated and overlooked for far too long.鈥
鈥疶his government is only giving the North what it鈥檚 owed, and what it deserves.鈥疐or too long, our outdated system of council funding has been stacked against the north.鈥 The days of Ministers expecting the North to go cap in hand ends now.鈥疶hat鈥檚 why with Jim McMahon, our Minister for English Devolution and Local Government, we are making simpler and clearer structures and will fix the foundations of local government. He is already beginning to replace the funding formula to give the North nearly 拢840 million more this year.鈥 That brings the North鈥檚 total increase to just over 8 per cent - the biggest rise of all regions in England, by a good distance.鈥
If this new formula had been applied under the last government, the North would鈥檝e seen billions more in funding.鈥疘nstead, councils saw cuts of 23 per cent.鈥疭o we鈥檙e starting to right that wrong.鈥
And we realise that every council has different needs.鈥疶hat鈥檚 why we鈥檝e set aside a cash-terms increase for local government of 6.8 per cent.鈥疶hat鈥檚 over 拢69 billion for local government.鈥疉ll councils are facing pressures, but it鈥檚 particularly hard for those that bore the brunt of austerity.鈥疉nd this year鈥檚 settlement marks a clear direction of travel for the rest of the Parliament.鈥
鈥疊ut I know that the change this country needs can鈥檛 be micromanaged from Whitehall. It鈥檚 people in this room today 鈥 mayors, councillors, business owners and investors 鈥 who will drive us forward.鈥 And as that happens, I can promise that the full force of the government will be behind you.鈥
Transferring power out of Westminster, getting Britain building, letting our towns and cities fire on all cylinders, doing whatever it takes to kickstart economic growth and leaving no one behind in that government-defining mission.鈥
Thank you.