A summary of our response
Two key points are central to our response to the strategy: it does not fully reflect the scale of economic opportunity associated with industrial decarbonisation, and it does not adequately recognise the strategic contribution of Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Warrington within the Northern Growth Corridor and wider Northern economy.
We support the Northern Growth Strategy for identifying the North’s strengths in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, life sciences, defence and professional services, but have highlighted that it underplays the economic significance of industrial decarbonisation. Decarbonisation is not simply an environmental priority, but a core driver of productivity, competitiveness and inward investment.
As global supply chains, investors and customers increasingly demand lower-carbon production, northern businesses will need access to clean energy, grid capacity, hydrogen infrastructure, carbon capture, low-carbon freight and innovation support to remain competitive. We have called for industrial decarbonisation to sit at the heart of the Strategy, alongside transport connectivity, skills and infrastructure investment.
A second crucial point is that Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Warrington (collectively the Combined Authority) should be explicitly included within the Northern Growth Strategy because of their strategic location and economic role. Positioned between Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester, the area forms a critical part of the wider Northern Growth Corridor, with nationally significant industrial assets, energy infrastructure, logistics connectivity and clean growth opportunities.
We highlight projects such as Origin as examples of how Cheshire West can support industrial transformation, attract investment, create skilled jobs and strengthen the North’s leadership in low-carbon industry. Excluding or underplaying the Combined Authority area risks overlooking one of the North’s most important opportunities to connect clean growth, industrial competitiveness and long-term regional productivity.
Our response in full
The Northern Growth Strategy rightly identifies the North's strengths in advanced manufacturing, clean energy industries, life sciences, defence, and professional services. It also recognises the importance of increasing productivity, supporting business investment and enabling innovation. However, the consultation document does not fully reflect the scale of economic opportunity associated with industrial decarbonisation, nor does it adequately recognise the strategic contribution of Cheshire West and Warrington within the Northern Growth Corridor and wider Northern economy.
Industrial decarbonisation should not be viewed solely as an environmental objective. It is fundamentally an economic and industrial competitiveness agenda. The ability of northern businesses to reduce emissions, lower energy costs, improve resource efficiency and meet growing customer and investor expectations will increasingly determine their long-term success. The Northern Growth Strategy should therefore place industrial decarbonisation at the heart of its growth ambitions.
Decarbonisation as a competitive advantage
The document identifies clean energy industries as a key strength of the North, highlighting opportunities in offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture and clean energy manufacturing. However, the strategy stops short of recognising the wider economic benefits that decarbonisation can deliver across all sectors.
Many northern industries face increasing international competition. Businesses are operating within global supply chains that are rapidly moving towards lower-carbon production standards. Customers, investors and multinational corporations are increasingly demanding evidence of carbon reduction from suppliers. Companies that fail to decarbonise risk losing market share, investment opportunities and access to future procurement frameworks.
The Northern Growth Strategy should therefore prioritise:
- Industrial electrification / low carbon fuelling.
- Renewable and low-carbon energy deployment.
- Low-carbon hydrogen infrastructure.
- Carbon capture utilisation and storage opportunities.
- Resource efficiency and circular economy approaches.
- Low-carbon freight and logistics solutions.
- Support for industrial innovation and demonstration projects.
These investments not only reduce emissions but improve productivity, stimulate innovation and strengthen the resilience of strategically important sectors.
There is a particular opportunity to position the North as the UK's leading location for low-carbon industrial activity, building upon its manufacturing heritage and existing strengths in energy-intensive industries. This would complement the Government's ambitions for growth, innovation and industrial leadership.
The missing geography: Cheshire West and Warrington
While the strategy highlights Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, and the North East, it gives insufficient attention to Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Warrington despite the area's significant contribution to industrial output, innovation and decarbonisation.
Cheshire and Warrington occupy a strategically important position between the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester and form a critical component of the wider Northern Growth Corridor. The area hosts nationally significant industrial assets, advanced manufacturing businesses, energy infrastructure and innovation clusters that support both local growth and national economic objectives.
The Northern Growth Strategy should explicitly recognise Cheshire and Warrington as:
- A major centre for clean growth and industrial transformation.
- A nationally important location for low-carbon energy deployment.
- A key logistics and connectivity hub linking northern city regions.
- A location with significant opportunities for inward investment and productivity growth.
- A bridge between major economic centres within the Northern Growth Corridor.
Failure to recognise the role of places such as Cheshire and Warrington risks overlooking some of the North's most significant opportunities for industrial growth and decarbonisation.
Origin and the opportunity for industrial transformation
A particular omission is the opportunity represented by Origin and the wider industrial ecosystem developing within Cheshire West.
Origin represents exactly the type of transformational project that aligns with the ambitions set out within the Northern Growth Strategy. It has the potential to support industrial decarbonisation, attract inward investment, create high-quality jobs and strengthen the North's position as a leader in clean industry.
Projects of this nature demonstrate how decarbonisation and economic growth are mutually reinforcing rather than competing objectives. They provide businesses with access to the infrastructure and technologies needed to transition towards low-carbon production while creating new commercial opportunities.
Support for projects such as Origin would help:
- Reduce industrial energy costs and exposure to energy market volatility.
- Attract private sector investment into northern industrial locations.
- Enable existing businesses to remain competitive.
- Support development of new clean technology supply chains.
- Create highly skilled employment opportunities.
- Encourage research, innovation and commercialisation activity.
The Northern Growth Strategy should therefore include a stronger commitment to supporting industrial decarbonisation clusters beyond those currently highlighted and ensure that Cheshire and Warrington's emerging opportunities are fully integrated into future phases of the strategy.
Transport, infrastructure and industrial growth
The strategy correctly identifies transport connectivity and Northern Powerhouse Rail as critical enablers of growth. However, industrial competitiveness depends upon more than passenger connectivity alone.
If the North is to become a leading location for clean industry, investment must also focus on:
- Strategic energy infrastructure
- Electricity grid capacity upgrades
- Hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure
- Freight connectivity
- Industrial land remediation
- Digital infrastructure supporting innovation and advanced manufacturing
Industrial decarbonisation projects are often constrained by infrastructure availability rather than by business ambition. Accelerating investment in supporting infrastructure would unlock significant private-sector investment and improve the competitiveness of northern businesses.
Supporting skills for the net zero economy
The consultation asks what measures across skills, employment and health would increase workforce participation. A major opportunity lies in aligning skills provision with industrial decarbonisation and clean growth.
The North already possesses strong industrial capabilities. The challenge is ensuring that the workforce has access to the skills needed to support emerging technologies and new industrial processes.
Government and local partners should prioritise:
- Clean energy and industrial decarbonisation skills programmes.
- Technical training linked to hydrogen, carbon capture and electrification.
- Apprenticeships supporting manufacturing and engineering transitions.
- Collaboration between employers, colleges and universities.
- Reskilling programmes for workers moving from traditional sectors into emerging low-carbon industries.
Such investments would simultaneously support productivity growth, workforce participation and industrial competitiveness.
Conclusion
The Northern Growth Strategy presents a welcome commitment to unlocking the North's economic potential. However, future iterations should place greater emphasis on industrial decarbonisation as a growth opportunity rather than solely an environmental challenge. The ability of northern businesses to compete globally will increasingly depend upon access to low-carbon infrastructure, clean energy and innovative technologies.
In addition, the strategy should more fully recognise the contribution of Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Warrington and the significant opportunity presented by projects such as Origin. These initiatives demonstrate how clean growth, industrial competitiveness and regional productivity can be pursued together.
A successful Northern Growth Strategy should seek not only to connect northern places through transport infrastructure, but also to connect businesses to the energy systems, innovation ecosystems and decarbonisation opportunities that will drive long-term prosperity. By placing industrial decarbonisation at the centre of economic policy and recognising the strategic role of Cheshire and Warrington, the Government can help ensure that the North remains a globally competitive place to invest, innovate and grow.
For further information please contact Amy Longmore-Gaskell.
10 August 2026
