Eamonn Boylan, the chief executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), has told an Insider event the government is not doing enough to deliver on levelling up in the North West.
Boylan said that despite politicians from both major parties “firmly committing to a levelling up agenda” at the recent Convention of the North, the government is “not doing enough yet to deliver on those principles and objectives”.
“Levelling up is about creating a sustainable enabling platform for parts of the country that have been underperforming for years to grow their capability, not at the expense of the South East, but building on the strengths of the South East,” said Boylan.
He added that there was “indecision” from the government about how to move forward with levelling up and stressed the need for a clear strategy for delivering on the objectives.
Boylan was speaking at Insider’s Future of Greater Manchester breakfast event where he was joined by a panel of speakers from local businesses and academia. The event focused on the future of the region in three key areas: sustainability, connectivity and skills.
On the topic of sustainability, Boylan gave an overview of the projects helping Greater Manchester work towards its ambitious goal of becoming a net zero region by 2038. This included retrofitting projects on the region’s building stock and the introduction of zero-emission busses.
Another key takeaway was the disruption of heavy rail and the impact this is having on Greater Manchester.
Boylan said: “An issue that is starting to emerge talking to businesses is that the impact of the disruption on heavy rail is starting to influence the way in which investors are thinking about the city as a destination for investment.
“We cannot afford to run the risk of creating another barrier for ourselves in attracting the kind of investment we want to see coming into the city.”
Source: Insider Media