Here in the North much has been made of plans to devolve power to local authorities and appoint metro mayors for big city areas such as Greater Manchester and Merseyside to build a future ‘northern powerhouse’.   Yet, many remain sceptical about the potential, let alone the will, to initiate ambitious projects that could turn the economy aorund. Behind the rhetoric of building a new industrial revolution, the powerhouse economy has delivered very little beyond the beginnings of a property boom, limited cultural regeneration, and a boost to Manchester’s financial services and ‘creative industries’ sectors.

After years spent ‘kicking the can down the road’, could Brexit be forcing the question of industrial planning back onto the agenda? Theresa May’s appointment of a secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, suggests the  government may be taking the economy seriously. But if Brexit provided the political wake up call, what should those plans look like and who will drive them?

Speakers

Hilary Salt is a Founder of First Actuarial LLP and provides actuarial and consultancy advice to pension scheme trustees and employers and works extensively with trade unions where she assists in collective bargaining situations and advises on the pension schemes run by trade unions themselves. Hilary has recently been re-appointed as the independent adviser to the governance arrangements of the NHS Pension Scheme, a position she previously held for 10 years.

Rob Killick is the founder and director of the digital agency Clerkswell and also the software company EasySharePoint. He is a writer and speaker in his spare time and the author of the economy blog The UK after the recession.

Chaired by Pauline Hadaway. Pauline has worked in arts and education in the UK and Ireland since 1990 and is co-founder of The Liverpool Salon. Pauline has been published widely on arts and cultural regeneration including: ‘Policing the Public Gaze’ (2009), published by The Manifesto Club; ‘Re-imagining Titanic, re-imaging Belfast’, in ‘Relaunching Titanic: Memory and Marketing in the ‘Post Conflict City’ (2013) and ‘Escaping the Panopticon’. in Photography Reframed (2017).

Planning for change is a Battle of Ideas 2016 satellite event.  The Battle of Ideas is a weekend of high level, thought provoking public debate taking place on 22 & 23  October at the Barbican, London. For more info and tickets visit Battle of Ideas 2016