Four in five business leaders in the north of England have a high level of confidence in the so-called 'Northern Powerhouse' initiative, with most keen to see more investment in infrastructure in the region.
Despite a significant proportion of those firms that attended the third annual Construction Summit North in Manchester revealing that their businesses had already been affected by the Brexit decision, most were keen to move forward and drive growth in the north.
Notably, 87 per cent of delegates questioned said that they had confidence in the future of the construction sector in the north, especially if plans to improve rail and other transport infrastructure are turned into reality.
Giving the region a further boost, the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) also used the summit, which was held at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground, to announce that it expects to see construction output worth some £42 billion in the north between now and the end of 2020.
As Martin Frobisher of Northern Rail, was quoted by Place North West as telling delegates: "the Northern Powerhouse is now not in the future. We need to stop talking about it as if it is something yet to come; we are seeing the benefits now."
The Northern Powerhouse initiative, which was launched and championed by former chancellor George Osborne, is aimed at ending the country's economic reliance on London.
