Trade & Investment
The North’s recognised strengths in global growth industries such as clean energy, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and digital - along with the region's outstanding quality of life and skills base - present huge trade and inward investment opportunities. By building on these strengths and developing new ways of working with the Government’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT), we can grow the North’s economy and create high-value, skilled jobs.
New Ways of Working
Since 2018, the NP11 and northern partners have been working together with Government to boost the North’s trade and investment performance. This has deepened partnerships between local and national government, and achieved some important results, but there are gaps that still need to be addressed.
We aim to build a new, partnership-based way of working between the North and DBT. This will ensure that northern leaders play a key role in determining trade and investment policy for the North, and that support from DBT complements local support to realise the best outcomes.
Our Ambition
Improving the North’s trade and investment performance will help grow our economy and contribute to a stronger, more globally competitive UK.
Our Trade and Investment Proposition sets out initiatives that would generate a net additional £375 million a year for the North, on the basis of £67.4m Government investment over three years in addition to existing Department for Business and Trade commitments.
Priorities include:
- Greater emphasis on the North’s net zero and clean energy capabilities, with more place based support programmes
- Attracting more “Apex” firms to the North and incentivising inward investment in the North
- Strengthening supply chains in relation to the North’s prime capabilities of clean energy, health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing and digital
- Improving the overseas investment pipeline with an expanded Northern presence and promotions abroad
- Involvement of Northern business and civic leaders in Sector and Trade Deals
- Enhancing the leadership role of the North in the Department for Business and Trade’s overarching strategy
