Mayors from across the North have announced plans to unite under the banner of Great North, setting out a new vision to champion their regions and unleash the potential of the North.
Seven mayors gathered on Saturday in Newcastle at an event brought together by North East mayor Kim McGuinness and Sir Brendan Foster, Olympic medalist and founder of the Great North Run, to pledge a new era of Northern co-operation.
The new Great North banner will give voice to the ambitions of an area spanning the Pennines, from Yorkshire and Lancashire, right up to the Scottish border, with a combined population of more than 15 million people.
It will also allow the northern regions to market themselves globally under a single brand.
The move further marks a new era of cooperation and collaboration driven by the North, for the North – and a break with past attempts to define the limits of Northern ambition from Whitehall offices, and builds on the collaboration announced earlier this week by the Convention of the North.
The Great North will also build new foundations for cooperation across the regions and communities of the North, and enable diverse areas to make a stronger case for change – including when it comes to devolving more powers and responsibilities to local areas.
The mayors gathered before the AJ Bell Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon, to announce their plans to push for greater northern devolution and job creation.
Sir Brendan said he wanted to work with northern mayors to promote the region nationally and internationally, with everything from Great North Sport to Great North Arts potentially coming under the mayors combined investment plans in future.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness said the change was about the North coming together to rebalance the UK economy, and said the upcoming Government Spending Review would be the next joint lobbying initiative from the northern mayors.
She added: “The Great North Run has for decades shown what’s great about our North, and now it’s time we spread that message. We’re doing our bit to build on our Great North identity and uniting under that northern pride that defines us. We’re delighted to be working with Sir Brendan on a new era of northern collaboration, with a brand recognisable across the world.
“But this is just the start. As well as uniting to create opportunity and jobs we know we need a stronger, unified voice into government as we prepare for the Spending Review.
“We cannot afford to slow down the pace of devolution, a Great North deserves a greater say over its own future. That means handing mayors single settlements and an end to the days of bidding into Whitehall for permissions to spend, and changes to legislation to free up the north to contribute more to the Government’s missions.”
Foster said: “All my life I have seen how the north has been treated, and, put simply, for too long we have been held back and told what to do.
“Well now, things are going to change. We have the chance to work together and power our north and tell the world we are a Great North. Northern unity is an idea whose time has come, and from here we can change perceptions globally.”
They were joined at the launch by South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard, West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin, North Yorkshire mayor David Skaith, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram.
