THE Government must stop talking and start delivering to stop its Northern Powerhouse petering out, a North-East MP has warned.

Tom Blenkinsop says Chancellor George Osborne must use tomorrow’s (Wednesday, June 8) Budget to begin backing up his vision for the region.

Mr Blenkinsop has called on the Chancellor to provide investment to improve infrastructure and help lift skills to meet businesses’ demands.

The MP for Middlesbrough South and east Cleveland was speaking after a Northern Trade Union Congress report claimed the North-East creates jobs four times slower than London.

It added the region’s employment growth was only better than that of Wales and the North-West.

Mr Blenkinsop said the Chancellor has no excuses not to focus on the North-East, pointing to Sirius Minerals’ approval for a 1,000-job fertiliser mine, near Whitby, and a 15-year gas deal between SSI UK and BOC to support the future of Teesside steelmaking, as examples of the region’s industrial strength.

He said: “It has been over 12 months since Mr Osborne coined the phrase Northern Powerhouse, but action and investment to make it more than a buzz-phrase remains thin on the ground.

“The TUC research clearly demonstrates there is long-way to go to re-balance job opportunities and growth away from London.

“The North-East, and Teesside in particular, needs urgent investment in skills and modern infrastructure.

“Businesses have already identified they find it hard to find candidates with the adequate skills and there is a whole generation missing out if those jobs go elsewhere.

“The Budget is an opportunity not to be missed for the Chancellor to start backing up his apparent desire to develop a Northern Powerhouse.”

According to the TUC, Government cuts to infrastructure and skills have made the economy too London-centric, with Beth Farhat, the organisation’s Northern regional secretary, saying further austerity will eliminate any chance of a powerhouse.

She added: “The North East won’t become a powerhouse of growth and job creation unless it is powered-up by investment in skills, infrastructure and decent public services.

“However, the Chancellor’s extreme cuts will mean pulling the plug.

“We need a better economic plan that prioritises balanced growth by targeting investment to communities most in need of modern infrastructure and more decent jobs.”

James Wharton, MP for Stockton South, was previously unveiled by the Conservative Party as the man to lead the Northern Powerhouse, as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

He previously told The Northern Echo the region, including councils and local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), would achieve greater success through the powerhouse by uniting and working together.

He said: “The North-East has already been successful in attracting investment.

“What we need to do is look at what powers it needs, so people don’t have to go down to Westminster every time a decision needs to be made.

“I want the North-East, places like Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Darlington, our LEPs and our councils, to get as much out of the Northern Powerhouse as we can.

“There is a lot of good news out there.

“As a Government we are determined to ensure more businesses can thrive across our region."