It was well trailed that the Industrial Strategy white paper was going to snub councils in favour of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs). The initial reaction was one of frustration within local government. But after a week has passed, many in the sector are looking beyond that slight frustration towards how best to progress.

Speaking at The MJ's Future Forum North conference last week, Trafford MBC chief executive Theresa Grant spelled out the importance of getting this right. She claimed the British economy was skewed against the North, adding: ‘The UK's productivity is behind other major European countries and the North is well below the UK average.'