Northern Powerhouse not about rebalancing the economy – ex-Dragon Linney

Mr Linney made the comments ahead of his interview with conference moderator and veteran journalist John Humphrys at the UK Northern Powerhouse Conference, which takes place at Manchester Central on the 25th and 26th February,

He said: “The argument should not be about rebalancing the economy but what are the levers we can pull that will drive economic growth across the country, to the benefit of all?”

Mr Linney, who was born and educated in the North West and whose business Outsourcery is headquartered in Manchester, added: “I could reasonably be described as a Northern lad. But I built my corporate career in London, many of my business interests are in the south and my family and I choose to live there. Hopefully, that puts me a good position to argue that the Northern Powerhouse cannot be about succeeding at London’s expense.”

He argued that many of the early initiatives around the Northern Powerhouse have been around the themes of connectivity and collaboration – with a focus on infrastructure and how institutions can work together.

He said: “Having a quicker and hassle free journey on the commuter train from Manchester to Sheffield and not sitting in a car park on the M60 are all important but I would argue that far more attention needs to be paid to our IT connectivity. Increasingly work should be seen as what we do, not where we go.”

“The next wave… now needs to focus on how both the public and business communities can embrace the new generation of communication technology to improve our collective efficiency and maximise the benefits from collaborating more effectively with citizens, customers and suppliers,” he said.

For more information or to book tickets to the UK Northern Powerhouse International Conference and Exhibition, on 25-26 February 2016, visit www.uk-northern-powerhouse.co.uk

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