Northern Power House?

[geared 317]

Personally I'd also like to see a cheap to use,high speed loop that went Manchester-Liverpool-Blackpool-Leeds-York-Hull-Cleethorpes-Doncaster-Sheffield-Manc'.

To connect the coastal 'resorts' with the Peak district, the Dales and the urban shopping bits in the middle. That loop would only have to be about 400 miles in length. But could open up a lot of tourist and commuting opportunities.

 

A better road connection between the two ports of Hull and Liverpool would be beneficial for business as well.

 

It would also give South Yorkshire better access to Manchester Airport.

[tinfoilhat 11]

There might actually be an issue with the term "Greater Sheffield".. Although Manchester appears to be working successfully (I don't know if any "suburbs" are actually concerned about a loss of identity as they are swallowed up within a Greater Manchester).

 

Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster might not like the idea of being a lesser part within a Greater Sheffield.

 

I would have thought that "South Yorkshire" would be a better term (although that in itself might put off the people of Chesterfield from whole heartedly taking part).

 

Aren't names complicated?

 

Just another thought...

 

Much is being made of the links across the pennines. Although better communications would help, they are not the be all and end all of development in the north. There's nothing stopping separate large developments even without further connection across the pennines at this stage.

 

There's nothing to stop a South Yorkshire development in its own right, and a West Yorkshire one, and a Manchester/Liverpool one. The South and West Yorkshire areas would still be able to combine on infrastructure development to the benefit of both. And longer term, the M62 corridor as a whole.

 

Also, its worth remembering that success for any of these areas will also have a drip down effect to other northern areas also (unless it is a specific development that has only been possible because funds have been kept away from adjacent areas).

 

I'm not sure the good people of North notts and particularly north Derbyshire would welcome the idea of being lumped in with SCC - the powers that be tried that with NEDC back in the early 90s if memory serves.

 

---------- Post added 15-05-2015 at 11:23 ----------

 

A better road connection between the two ports of Hull and Liverpool would be beneficial for business as well.

 

It would also give South Yorkshire better access to Manchester Airport.

 

What, better than the M62? That's enough surely and tonnes better than the the A14 that goes to harwich, Ipswich etc.

[ricoblade 10]

I'm not sure the good people of North notts and particularly north Derbyshire would welcome the idea of being lumped in with SCC - the powers that be tried that with NEDC back in the early 90s if memory serves.

 

They're already in the Sheffield City Region:

 

http://sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/about/overview/

 

Whether they realise that is another matter but old boundaries need to be torn up in this brave new world if you want access to the devolution.

Edited May 15, 2015 by nikki-red
fixed quote

[tinfoilhat 11]

I'm not sure the good people of North notts and particularly north Derbyshire would welcome the idea of being lumped in with SCC - the powers that be tried that with NEDC back in the early 90s if memory serves.

 

They're already in the Sheffield City Region:

 

http://sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/about/overview/

 

Whether they realise that is another matter but old boundaries need to be torn up in this brave new world if you want access to the devolution.

 

It's not access to devolution that concerns me, it "access" to higher council tax and less services, and definitely (well, based on what I've read on here) higher social care costs. That's if we are are all jumping into one super council. I'll read the link.

[Longcol 602]

Sheffield City Region includes the Worksop and Retford bits of Notts as well as the N Derbyshire bits and has a population of 1.8million. So that's pretty large. This is the area that is analogous to Greater Manchester and could be used as the basis for a new authority with a mayor and powers on planning, transport etc.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield_City_Region

 

OK there is a fair bit of rural land in between the towns so it's not a continuous urban area. But it makes much more sense to me in the 21st century than the historic city boundaries. It's no good continuing to use the existing narrow definition of the 'City of Sheffield' to plan services, snubbing neighbouring areas, not letting them in like some dumb club bouncer.

 

 

So Sheffield City Region in fact more like a traditional county with a large city and smaller towns with a large rural area - and not really analagous to a conurbation.

[Dr Seuss 10]

They're already in the Sheffield City Region:

 

http://sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/about/overview/

 

Whether they realise that is another matter but old boundaries need to be torn up in this brave new world if you want access to the devolution.

 

But they re not entirely in the Sheffield City Region as those areas are also in the D2N2 Region. It is only the ditrict councils that signed up to SCR, there are other organisations in those parts that have signed up with D2N2, ie Derbyhsire and Notts County Councils

 

---------- Post added 15-05-2015 at 13:18 ----------

 

Sheffield City Region includes the Worksop and Retford bits of Notts as well as the N Derbyshire bits and has a population of 1.8million. So that's pretty large. This is the area that is analogous to Greater Manchester and could be used as the basis for a new authority with a mayor and powers on planning, transport etc. .

 

Not all these powers are within the Sheffield City Region. The councils within north Derbyshire and North notts that have signed up to SCR do not have the powers that you talk about; they have some planning but nothing relating to waste or minerals. Similarly the transport, ie the Highway Authority for the whole of Derbyshire is Derbyshire County Council (and similalry for Notts). Therefore these powers in north Notts and North Derbys will go to the D2N2 region and not Sheffield City Region. This equally applies to Education, Economic Regeneration, Adult Care, Young People etc.

[Bilge 34]

So Sheffield City Region in fact more like a traditional county with a large city and smaller towns with a large rural area - and not really analagous to a conurbation.

 

You can make an analogy with anything. Clearly the 'big city as region' concept wouldn't fit all over the country and some are more urban than others.

[Longcol 602]

You can make an analogy with anything. Clearly the 'big city as region' concept wouldn't fit all over the country and some are more urban than others.

 

Sheffield city region would be far and away the most rural just as South Yorkshire is by far and away the most rural of the Metropolitan Counties.

 

I don't think the "big city as region" works for Sheffield - historically it was never the commercial centre for anything much beyond its boundaries. For most people in Doncaster and Barnsley - even 40 odd years ago they would class their regional centre as Leeds.

 

We needed better transport links to the major powerhouse 40 miles to the west.

[evil woman 10]

Enough with this "the council, the council" already. What I don't understand is why those with ideas and drive, and who are frustrated with the state of things don't do something: start a pressure group, start campaigning, put up some candidates for the council election next time out.

 

We cannot simply offload all the blame on the council. It's us too. We are passive observers by choice. If we could be arsed, we could change things.

 

But it is far easier not to keep banging your head against the wall here and do what Hammersons did and simply invest in a more dynamic environment where business, motorist and profit aren't classed as swear words.

 

If the city of Sheffield expects to be part of any major Northern regeneration it needs to start to make itself attractive to inward investment and use that as a route to being considered worthy of a trans-Pennine tunnel.

[psynuk 10]

That's completely missing the point.

 

It's about combining the 'belt' of the country so that it takes away some of the overbearing effect that London/se creates. Using your method, why bother going to manchester, Liverpool or Birmingham? When you could go invest in a more dynamic environment like London, New york or Dubai?

 

I think Sheffield actually works quite hard to keep its 'biggest village' persona. It's never going to replicate a larger metropolitan city because the desire isn't there to do so, nor should it. you want pure congestion, pollution and frantic city life Sheffield isn't the place for you.

But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be part of a conglomerate of business/industries that span the width of the country.

 

The main 'problem' with this part of the country you infer, comes from the industries that spawned satellite towns and villages never getting a replacement when it was removed. combined with the 'death' of the steel creates stagnation. The isolation/ bad commutability out of the region overarches the problem.

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

The so-called 'region' is just SY + the northern half of Derbyshire (+ Bassetlaw from Notts.)

But it's not a 'city region'. Why not just 'North Midlands Region' if it really has to have a name?

 

(Maybe 'region' is the opium of the people who run HMG and EU)

[horribleblob 213]

Apologies if this has been threaded before, but someone has only just made me aware of this potential "northern powerhouse" (in which Sheffield would become a border town).

 

I'm not sure what I think about it yet, although, in the run-up to the general election, I did wonder if, just for devilment, I'd vote SNP if they had put up a candidate in Sheffield Central. This Sheffield-originated petition does appear to have a lot of support so far.