Veka hosts George Osborne’s Northern Powerhouse report launch
10th October 2017

Former Chancellor George Osborne and Northern Powerhouse Partnership Chairman chose the Veka Group’s Burnley HQ recently to launch its latest report; 'Powerhouse 2050: The North's Routemap for Productivity'.

Speaking to over 100 staff and guests, he said: “One of the major aims is to improve connectivity. Northern villages, towns and cities are proud of their local identities and steeped with history but are perhaps not big enough to make a global impact by themselves. They are close enough geographically however to team up; the distance between Manchester and Leeds, for example, is shorter than the Central Line of the London Underground.

“We have all the ingredients we need for the Northern Powerhouse to succeed, and now it's time to make some decisions on what to focus on, because choosing everything, means choosing nothing. A great idea like this cannot live and die with any one MP or government, but if the North itself owns this idea, it will endure.”

Jake Berry MP, Minister for Northern Powerhouse, added: “The report contains some ambitious asks but it isn't a wish list; it is a 'call to arms' for businesses in the region to unleash their full potential. Northern Powerhouse is here today in Burnley because it is a great Northern power town. Everyone here shares an ambitious vision. We are the makers, the innovators and the disruptors.”

Guests were given a tour of the Veka factory by managing director David Jones, who later said: “It has a been a pleasure for Veka to host the launch of the latest Northern Powerhouse Partnership report, and as one of the primary capabilities is 'Advanced Manufacturing & Materials', Veka seemed to set the scene perfectly.

“Veka Group has been operating in Burnley since 1986 and we have never stopped investing and innovating when it comes not just to manufacturing quality products but in providing the highest standards of working conditions for our employees.

“Almost all of the speakers today called for Northern businesses to pull together, own the Northern Powerhouse initiative and work towards a stronger North. I think I am speaking for everyone at Veka, when I say 'we're in'!”

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