GM LEP chair Mike Blackburn will join other Local Enterprise Partnership leaders at the inaugural NP11 Summit in September.

The NP11 is a newly-formed government-funded board comprising members of the 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships in the North.

The board acts as one voice representing each of their regions as a modern day ‘Council for the North’ to work with and advise the government on issues such as how to increase productivity, overcome regional disparities in economic growth and tackle the historic north-south divide.

The venue for the Convention of the North and NP11 Summit on Friday, September 13th will be Magna Science Adventure Centre – an iconic former steelworks that has been transformed into an award-winning educational and entertainment venue.

The Convention of the North and the NP11 Summit, with support from Government, will be bringing together the North’s political, business, community and academic leaders, along with young people’s groups around a common agenda for the future of the North.

This will be the largest ever event of its kind – a working convention to debate policy co-hosted by the NP11 group of all 11 Northern Local Enterprise Partnership Chairs, representing 16 million people, supported by Government and along with representatives of young people’s groups.

The summit will send a clear message to the new Prime Minister and Government about the North of England’s role in the future of the UK. Together the North will make a powerful, unified case to the new Prime Minister and Government for tangible investment in the Northern Powerhouse, putting it at the top of the economic agenda, so that it can fulfil its potentially transformational role in the future of the UK.

Speakers and a detailed agenda, as well as registration details, will be released over the coming weeks.