Public discussion on the opportunities presented by the Northern Way

How the region can make the best use of levering in extra investment via the multi-million pound Northern Way initiative will come under the spotlight at a public meeting later this week.

BBC regional political editor Len Tingle will chair a public “Question Time” session as part of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly’s scrutiny review into how the region can make the most of the opportunities presented by the Northern Way, aimed at bridging the North/South economic gap.

The public discussion session is part of the Assembly’s new approach to its scrutiny role, led by its deputy chair Paul Jagger, which will see a standing group looking at how the region’s economy is faring.

The panel will be looking at how our region, via economic activity driven by the region’s development agency Yorkshire Forward, can benefit from the Northern Way, launched in 2004 by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Organisations and individuals from across Yorkshire and Humber have been invited to give their views and comments at this week’s event, being held at the Cathedral Hall in Leeds on Wednesday (February 22), which will also be attended by Yorkshire Forward board representatives.

The Northern Way is a collaborative project between the three northern RDAs – Yorkshire Forward, ONE NorthEast and the Northwest Development Agency – to increase economic growth in the North of England and bridge the £29 billion output gap with the South.

The initiative, which aims to exploit economic and transport links to boost the North as a business force in Europe, is backed by a £100m Growth Fund made up of £50 million from the ODPM and £50million from the three Northern RDAs. This fund will be used to kick-start the strategy into practical action.

“As Yorkshire Forward has the strategic lead on transport and marketing the North, we welcome this inquiry into how The Northern Way can provide significant opportunities for our region”, said Nic Dakin, Deputy Chair of Yorkshire Forward and Chair of the Yorkshire Forward Scrutiny Panel. “I am certain that positive things will come out of Wednesday's event that will help Yorkshire perform even better.”

Paul Jagger, Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly Scrutiny Panel said, “The Regional Assembly has two main aims in running the regional scrutiny in this new way. Firstly to test the added value of the Northern Way to our region, and secondly to ensure that the public voice is heard in the scrutiny process.”

The Northern Way is the latest initiative to come under the spotlight of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly’s “scrutiny” role required by Government to ensure money spent on economic development is well targeted. A formal report, with any recommendations, will be produced by the Assembly in April 2006.

For more information about this, contact Iain Lovell at the Assembly on 01924 331583.