Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to rebalance the economy and create a Northern Powerhouse.

The government has undertaken a range of efforts to pursue its Northern Powerhouse agenda and to rebalance the economy of the country.

Last November, the Chancellor signed an historic devolution agreement with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and included a Cities Devolution Bill in the Queen’s Speech in May which will allow tailoring of the deal to other cities of the North subject to governance arrangements. On 14^th May, the Chancellor announced that he will work with the great towns and counties of the North to agree County Deals, so all places have a chance to benefit.

Additionally, the government has announced plans for a range of transport investments in the region. These include the creation of Transport of the North, who will devise a Northern Transport Strategy, and plans to develop HS3. Small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures will also benefit through government support across a range of areas, including investments made in tech incubators, financial and commercial advice from the British Business Bank, through the government’s Enterprise Zone programme and through supporting sector specific strengths in the region such as through investments in Health science.

The North is currently growing faster per person than London, but we will go further still in rebalancing the economy