Sheffield Chamber backs ambitious proposals for the north

24th November 2014

Sheffield Chamber of Commerce has joined five other regional chambers in throwing its weight behind ambitious plans to empower industry across the north of England.

The six Chambers have signed a letter to the Chancellor George Osborne, welcoming the One North plan put forward by five local authorities earlier this year. The business membership organisations, who together represent more than 12,000 businesses, pledged their support for One North, which was launched in July and proposes a series of significant investments in transport and connectivity infrastructure over the next 16 years. It received a positive welcome from the Chancellor, who indicated he would respond to the proposals in his Autumn Statement on December 3. Sheffield Chamber executive director Richard Wright (pictured) joined Chief Executives of the North East Chamber of Commerce, Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, Liverpool & Sefton Chambers of Commerce, and West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce to sign the letter of support. Said Richard: -The north of England contains substantial business and economic assets that should be maximised for the benefit of the whole of UK plc, including Sheffield's world leading expertise in advanced materials and the fact that more than a quarter of UK manufacturers are based in the north. -But our infrastructure has been under-developed for decades and addressing this is essential to achieve economic rebalancing and create the 'northern powerhouse' the Government has spoken of. -We expect the strategy to be given a high priority by local authorities and the Government with the Chambers ready to play a part in articulating business views on proposals and helping to develop projects further. -A strong commitment to deliver this strategy should be made in the Autumn Statement of 2014, receiving cross-party support to give confidence that a 15-year investment plan will be seen through by any future governments over that period.