The Northern Economy in the Next Decade: Paper 5 from the Northern Economic Agenda project

Article

This paper brings together our recommendations on future economic policy for the North of England. Our aim is to suggest reforms that will enable the northern regions to combine strong economic growth with a socially just distribution of the benefits from that growth, in a manner that is consistent with environmental sustainability and in particular the need to avert dangerous climate change over the twenty-first century.

This report presents recommendations for the three northern regions of England, the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, on:

  • how to improve their economic performance; and
  • how to narrow the gap in prosperity between these regions and more prosperous parts of England, while also delivering a socially just and environmentally sustainable northern economy.

It brings together our recommendations on future economic policy for the North of England. Our aim is to suggest reforms that will enable the northern regions to combine strong economic growth with a socially just distribution of the benefits from that growth, in a manner that is consistent with environmental sustainability and in particular the need to avert dangerous climate change over the twenty-first century.

Our in-depth analysis of the northern regions, embracing a wide range of economic, social and environmental factors of development, shows that there is no a priori reason why the North cannot at least make up a large proportion of the output gap with the UK average over the next 10 to 20 years.

Related items

  1. The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, River Thames and Westminster Bridge

    Taxing choices: Taking the public’s temperature ahead of the budget

    The stakes for a government are rarely higher than at a budget. Every chancellor has dealt with this differently. Ken Clarke would draft his budget speech with cigars and whisky, Gordon Brown pored over every word in what officials called…
  2. Scottish parliament building at Holyrood and Calton Hill, Edinburgh

    Great expectations: Rejuvenating the national debate in Scotland

    Fresh IPPR Scotland polling shows that politicians must raise their game if next year’s election is a to be serious debate about the challenges facing Scotland and potential solutions. 
  3. A Black man in a bright orange high vis jacket and hard hat stands in the middle of a road holding a sign that says 'STOP - WORKS'

    Unfinished business: Redressing inequality in British policy and Black lives

    As conversations about race and equality continue to evolve, Black History Month remains a powerful invitation to pause, reflect, and recommit to progress.