THE Northern Powerhouse will only really flourish if fragmented regions unite and greater support is provided to increase skills and help companies grow.

That was the message from leading industry figures yesterday during a meeting aimed at shaping a future Government blueprint to drive prosperity.

The event, which took place at the Materials Processing Institute (MPI), near Middlesbrough, featured a number of speakers, who discussed ministerial priorities for the advanced manufacturing sector.

Participants, who included new North East Process Industry Cluster (Nepic) chief executive Iain Wright, identified a number of areas for focus, including the region’s place within the Northern Powerhouse, its ability to attract and retain companies and workers, and the importance of simplifying systems to help firms expand more quickly.

Speakers also raised longheld concerns that ministers believe the Powerhouse evolves around Manchester and the M62 corridor, with little attention given to the North-East.

The meeting, attended by The Northern Echo, was organised by The Northern Powerhouse Partnership, which will write a report on the findings of its MPI visit, as well as numerous other debates across the region.

Mr Wright, who recently stood down as Hartlepool MP, said there was uncertainty on what the Northern Powerhouse meant, reiterating concerns over a North-West/ North-East divide.

He said: “Devolution is great but it comes at a cost; it is fragmentation.

“Are we all just competing for the same ground?”

Chris Beck, from the TWI, said he wanted clarity on business support, saying many often fall down the cracks when seeking to grow.

He said: “The problem at the moment is there is a lot of support for SMEs and larger companies get support from the Government to grow.

“But you get the middle companies who don’t get to ministers and who are too big to get SME support.

“It is these companies we need to grow.

“We have a standardised support package.

“Everyone is different, there are different rules and different policies, and if companies are on one side of the road to another, it can make things difficult.”

Rachel Anderson, head of policy and representation at the North East England Chamber of Commerce, said it was important to improve careers advice to get young people into the region’s manufacturing sector and secure the next generation.

She also said it was equally imperative to dispel a myth that working in the region was effectively a career “culde- sac”.

She added: “It is a perception, rather than an actual, but perceptions are difficult to get rid of.

“The big opportunity with the Northern Powerhouse is that the North finds its voice.”