North East might miss out in rivalry with Leeds and Manchester

Feb 2 2010 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

THE North East will lose out unless it can prevent future governments creating one Northern region.

That was the message from city leaders amid worries that the increasing status of Leeds and Manchester in the eyes of Whitehall decisionmakers will threaten the North East.

The region has already had to adjust to what some have called a less-than-equal footing in the super-quango The Northern Way.

This Northern partnership group has previously advised the Government to invest in Yorkshire and the North West with only knock-on effects for the North East.

The risks involved in taking a pan-regional approach were reinforced late last year when the BBC was accused of downgrading its regional presence.

Television bosses faced criticism for assuming they can meet their targets for regional coverage simply by relocating departments to Salford.

And there are fears that while a Conservative government would replace big-spending development agencies with local regeneration groups, it could also be tempted to decide bigger issues on a pan-regional scale.

The risk to the North East is that it would be unable to argue its own corner.

In order to preserve that regional voice The Journal has being outlining the Case for the North East.