The North’s Growth Depends on ‘As Well As’, Not ‘Either/Or’
Opinion piece by Charlie Jeffery, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of York.
The Yorkshire Post published this opinion piece on Saturday 20 June 2026.
You can read the opinion piece in the Yorkshire Post online (behind paywall) or read a transcript below.
The recent 'Our Future, Our North' focus day at the York Festival of Ideas, coordinated by the University of York, provided a vital, timely moment to reconsider the geography of our economic ambitions. Crucially, the day was delivered as a citizens' assembly, allowing us to bridge the gap between policy-making and the lived experience of our residents.
It provided a powerful platform for key leaders in the engines of growth - including those from government and industry - to hear directly from citizens about the real-world impact of our economic ambitions.
Lord Jim O'Neill’s recent contribution to the Yorkshire Post regarding Rotherham’s success highlights a fundamental truth: the North’s potential does not lie in the individual success of isolated cities, but in the collective strength of an interconnected ‘Northern Arc.’
I welcome Lord O'Neill’s compelling vision. His praise for the Rotherham and AMRC model is of course a powerful template for how academic research and industry can coalesce around a shared, productive purpose. However, I believe we must move beyond an ‘either/or’ choice between investing in major conurbations and other regions.
The successful commercialisation of new ideas - the core of O'Neill’s productivity agenda - is not a zero-sum game. At York, we view the Rotherham success as a vital node in a wider network. Our approach must be one of ‘as well as.’ We need to ensure that mid-scale cities function as critical collaborators within the regional ecosystem rather than standalone drivers, allowing the entire region to punch above its weight.
This collaborative intent is tangible in our recent developments. The announcement of a major new facility for DEFRA on York Central, alongside our drive to secure a flagship Innovation Hub, underscores our commitment to creating high-value ‘landing zones’ for national investment.
As Darren Pirie of Nat West emphasised during our focus day, the role of accelerator programmes like the Nat West one on York’s campus is critical here. They provide the essential infrastructure to bridge the gap between world-class research and significant regional employment, ensuring that start-ups have the support to grow into significant regional employers. These are not merely local infrastructure projects; they are shared assets designed to help the North deliver on its potential.
While Lord O'Neill suggests we must ‘build something new’. I am struck by York Central’s Edward Twiddy’s timely reminder at the festival that we already possess ‘all the ingredients’ for brilliance - heritage, talent, and existing innovation clusters. The task is not to replicate the past, but to align these existing local assets with a clear long-term strategy. This asset-based growth allows us to build a resilient, shared future that leverages our unique status as an innovation leader.
Of course, we must continue to prioritise investment in our largest conurbations; they remain essential economic engines. But it is an ‘as well as’ approach that will create a balanced ecosystem. We must prioritise vocational, digital, and entrepreneurial skills, ensuring the entire workforce is prepared for the shift toward a bio-based economy. Failing to invest coherently and imaginatively in these emerging devolution regions - and the communities they serve - will only exacerbate the sense of exclusion many feel.
There is a major opportunity here for the York and North Yorkshire and Tees Valley recently developed Bioeconomy Industrial Cluster North to become the bio-equivalent of the AMRC, serving as an advanced bio-manufacturing hub for the UK. By doing so, we can ensure the sovereignty of critical materials, reduce reliance on the need for fossil fuels to deliver the likes of sustainable chemicals, fertiliser and fuels - all of which have been severely impacted by the conflict in the Middle East. That is the kind of investment that can unleash the UK’s world-leading bio-technology capability and exploit a global bioeconomy predicted to be worth more than $30 trillion. This would deliver significant jobs and investment spanning York, North Yorkshire, and the Tees Valley, which already possesses the highest concentration of industry and jobs in the UK’s bioeconomy.
As York and North Yorkshire’s Deputy Mayor, Cllr Claire Douglas has emphasised, this cannot be an isolated economic exercise. We must take an integrated approach, ensuring that our transport connectivity is inextricably linked to the provision of affordable housing. If we are to create true 'Good Growth,' it must be accessible; people need to be able to live where the new jobs are being created.
As speakers at our focus day rightly noted, the rising tide of inequality is already fuelling significant frustration. Failing to invest in "Good Growth" is not merely an economic problem; it is a profound political challenge that we ignore at our peril.
Ultimately, as Northern Growth Envoy Tom Riordan reminded us, growth must be tangible and inclusive - a ‘Good Growth’ that actively reduces local inequalities. This is the essential social and political imperative that underpins Lord O'Neill’s vision. By ensuring that the benefits of investment reach every street, economic success becomes a shared, relatable reality for all our citizens. That is how we turn a collection of cities into a truly cohesive, prosperous North.