Linda Riordan: Powers must head north before we’re outmuscled by London and Scotland

From Newcastle to Sheffield, Hull to Liverpool and points in between, the North is a vast entity with the potential to grow, develop and prosper.

I was heartened to read Ed Milliband talk of a future Labour government providing an “English deal”, giving this region some form of devolved power. What form that would take is unclear.

What is clear though is that real devolution must be on the same basis as the devolution enjoyed by Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. That means a major shift from the sort of centralised control the North has suffered from.

It seems like an age since the voters of the North East said no thanks in 2004 when a rather timid version of regional government was put to them.

However, a decade on and much has changed. The whole political and economic landscape has been transformed. And not always for the better. Since that time, the social and economic fortunes of the North have ebbed and flowed. The recession hit these parts as hard as any. And while the capital and the South East may begin to see the fruits of any economic recovery, it is unlikely to be noticed in these parts anytime soon.

Politically, we face the increasing prospect of being caught between the dominant South and the increasingly confident and muscle-flexing Scotland. Quite simply, something has to give. If Northern areas, with such a rich cultural, socially and economic history, are to flourish then it’s time for Whitehall to loosen its grip on the levers of power. Not with tinkering, tokenism or sops but with strong, powerful and effective regional government. The 2004 model was a half-hearted and half-baked proposal doomed from the start. Now is the time to point the way to a better future for our Northern regions.