The NP11 is looking ahead to the future of public-private sector collaboration to drive momentum and opportunity across the North as it welcomes a new Chair and fresh Government backing.

Clare Hayward MBE DL has been welcomed as the interim chair of the NP11 group of Northern local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) following inaugural Chair, Sir Roger Marsh’s, retirement.

This new interim Chair appointment coincides with renewed Government commitment to working with the NP11 to develop future pan-northern governance arrangements.

Government minister, Dehenna Davison, has also spoken about the NP11’s work and its effectiveness.

Partnership working between the private and public sectors must be at the forefront of efforts to boost growth and level up the North’s economy: that is the message from the NP11 group of northern local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) as it receives fresh backing from the Government and welcomes a new interim Chair.

Since it was established in 2018, the NP11 has provided a strong, collective voice for the North’s business community and led collaborative efforts to grow the North’s economy in areas such as net zero, innovation, trade and investment, place and culture.

Clare Hayward MBE DL, Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington LEP, has been appointed the new acting Chair of the NP11 to continue driving this collaboration between the public and private sectors for the benefit of the North’s economy and its people.

An example of the collaborative action led by the NP11 is the open letter it recently coordinated, bringing together 15 leading businesses to call on the Government to back the region to lead the UK’s transition to Net Zero. Signatories included Siemens, Orsted, Progressive Energy, Drax, AB Ports and other businesses that are driving major clean growth projects across the North.

Clare Hayward MBE DL, Chair of Cheshire and Warrington LEP and newly-appointed acting Chair of the NP11, said:

“I’m delighted to be appointed acting Chair of the NP11. Through our work so far, we have demonstrated the power of effective partnership working – across boundaries and between public and private sectors – to create new economic opportunities for the North.

“With the economy uppermost in business, regional and national leaders’ minds, this partnership working has never been more important. We need to work together to ensure that businesses can grow, innovate and create jobs across our region, and to take advantage of transformational opportunities such as the transition to Net Zero, which the North is in pole position to lead for the UK. We welcome the Government’s commitment to the NP11 so that we can continue to forge these partnerships and unleash our region’s enormous economic potential.

“I would like to thank Sir Roger Marsh for his infinite passion and dedication to the North and for all his work in bringing partners together as Chair of the NP11 for the past five years. We are committed to continue building on these achievements and providing a powerful voice for businesses in the North as LEPs become more closely integrated with local and combined authorities.”

Clare Hayward succeeds Sir Roger Marsh OBE DL as Chair. Sir Roger, who was knighted in 2021 for his services to business, the economy and the community across the North, had chaired the pan-northern body since it was established by Government in 2018.

Under his leadership, the NP11 has overseen three Conventions of the North in partnership with the North’s political leaders, published the influential Manifesto for the North ahead of the 2019 General Election, and developed ground-breaking policy to unlock the potential of the North’s economy for UK plc.

Sir Roger Marsh OBE DL, outgoing Chair of the NP11 commented:

“It’s been an immense privilege serving as the inaugural Chair of the NP11. Having been born in Teesside, educated and built my career in West Yorkshire, and worked on policy to advance the North during my time in the Cabinet Office and as Senior Managing Partner at PwC in Leeds, I am hugely proud of this great region and passionate about its future.

“As I’ve consistently argued, the North is the solution to many of the challenges the UK faces, and this is truer than ever as we work to generate new sources of growth, tackle the climate emergency, and build a more inclusive economy for all. By working together, we can be even greater than the sum of our exceptional parts.

“Clare Hayward exemplifies this commitment to pan-northern collaboration and ensuring our region is at the forefront of future UK prosperity. I wish her and the NP11 Board the best of luck as they lead the organisation into its new chapter and will continue to be their biggest supporter from the sidelines.”

The Government has also endorsed the NP11’s track record of successful partnership working and has committed its support to the organisation as it works with northern business, political and community leaders to shape future pan-northern governance arrangements.

Dehenna Davison, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up said:

“The NP11 is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when businesses and local leaders come together, working across geographic boundaries and sectors to achieve common goals. This is the essence of levelling up: identifying clear local priorities and then working with local partners, backed by Government, to realise them.

“The Government welcomes the positive progress the NP11 has made against our shared missions of growing the economy, creating opportunity and building a strong Global Britain. We are looking forward to working with Clare and the NP11 to build on this great work and strengthen pan-northern partnerships even further.”