TOP leaders in the Northern Powerhouse initiative have handed Parliament their proposals for 'levelling-up' the economy ahead of next month's budget.

The Chairs for the 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in the North of England, known collectively as the Northern Powerhouse 11 (the NP11), met with Government Ministers and Northern MPs.

They presented their priorities for investment opportunities and projects that will allow the North to take a leading role as the country’s clean growth powerhouse.

This included proposals to help boost innovation across flagship northern industries and to significantly enhance trade, investment, and connectivity across the North’s towns, cities, ports and airports.

At the core of the NP11 Budget proposal to the Government is a £40 million investment to help develop a ‘Net Zero North’ clean energy programme over three years. This is intended to build on the region’s internationally recognised energy expertise and to deliver transformational pan-northern projects, huge export opportunities and collaborative growth technologies. It is estimated that Net Zero North could add more than £2bn a year to the energy economy and create more than 100,000 new green jobs.