The Government’s ambition to make the 海角视频 “the world’s most trusted adviser to global industry” – backed by the launch of new Professional & Business Services Hubs in Liverpool, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and the West Midlands – is a welcome signal of intent.
Professional Services are a major 海角视频 export and a significant contributor of jobs, skills and productivity; and as a law firm that is proudly anchored in the North, we understand the value the professional services sector can bring as a bridge between government, industry and local communities and as a convening power that has the potential to drive inclusive growth.
Equally, the launch of Manchester’s Industrial Strategy marks a pivotal moment – not just for the city, but for the region as a whole. As a city that has long been a beacon of innovation, collaboration and ambition, Manchester is now poised to become the proof positive for how devolved leadership alongside place-based investment can unlock productivity and prosperity at scale.
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However, if Manchester is to be a catalyst, it must also act as a connector.
A rising tide lifts all boats
The real challenge – and thereby the real opportunity – lies in ensuring that the benefits of Manchester’s Industrial Strategy ripple outward into the towns, rural communities and traditional industries that form the backbone of our regional economy. Without corresponding and deliberate plans to uplift these areas, we risk recreating the very centralisation that has long held back the 海角视频’s economic potential.
Across the region, towns like Burnley, Barrow, Barnsley and beyond are home to vital sectors – manufacturing, logistics, life sciences, health and clean energy. These places need the same level of digital infrastructure, business support and workforce investment as our city centres. They also need the freedom to forge their own paths, shaped by local strengths and ambitions.
This is where the next phase of devolution must deliver.
The newly published English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill offers a timely opportunity to empower local leaders and institutions. But devolution must go beyond geography – it must be about mindset. It is not about replicating Manchester’s model in every town, it is about learning from its success and enabling others to define their own version of what ‘good’ looks like.
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Manchester’s Industrial Strategy is a bold and necessary step. However, its true legacy will be measured not just by what it achieves within the city, but by how it inspires and enables progress across the region. A rising tide lifts all boats – and with the right approach, Manchester’s experience can help guide the whole fleet.
And this where the Professional & Business Services Hubs can play their part.
Building the foundations
So far, much of the policy discussion around the Professional & Business Services Hubs has understandably focused on innovation – particularly related to AI, data and digital transformation. However, if we are to tackle the North’s longstanding productivity and prosperity puzzle, we must do more than enhance the digital capabilities of corporate, legal, finance and technology services. We must also make sure that traditional sectors – particularly the privately owned, owner managed businesses that form the backbone of many local economies – are equipped to adapt.
There is a real opportunity for these Hubs to act as platforms for transformation that actively reach beyond the major cities, forging partnerships with businesses, institutions and in local communities and lead on digital inclusion, skills development and innovation.
They can contribute significantly as part of the connective tissue that binds our region together – whether physical, digital or through networks and relationships. This will be integral in building a more balanced, inclusive economic model – one that strengthens the links between our regional centres and the towns, rural communities and traditional industries that continue to underpin much of our region’s prosperity.
Convening success
This is one of the key challenges that encouraged us to launch True North – a growing network of more than 470 purpose-led businesses and organisations from across the region. Formed with the belief that we can unlock the North’s full potential, by connecting and learning from those already delivering great things, from the ground up.
Through our conversations across the network – whether a clean energy business in Lancashire, a manufacturing business in Yorkshire or a creative studio in Merseyside – the message is clear: with the right tools, support and autonomy, the purpose-led business community of the North can be the driving force for local economies to thrive, and deliver the productivity and inclusive growth we so desperately need.
- Robert White is CEO of Brabners and co-chair of the True North Network