No 10 North can create better understanding of our varied region: Alice Newsham

The subject of the question changes, but the reference to 'the North' as one huge homogeneous whole never does.

The question is almost always well meaning. It still makes me smile. Or, if it's been one of those days, sigh.

At some point, 'the North' stopped being a geographical description and became convenient shorthand. It's become a useful label, something used to sell nostalgia or lend something, or someone, a bit more grit and authenticity.

The many places and communities behind that label, and the nuance that makes each of them different, are flattened into something much simpler than they really are. They effectively become hidden from mainstream national view.

That is, until somewhere outside London becomes impossible to ignore. Usually it's a by-election. Or one of our football teams lifting a trophy. Or, depressingly, a horrendous crime.

Suddenly everyone wants to understand 'the North'. Television crews arrive. Newspapers commission explainers. Political commentators search for clues about what it all means. A few weeks later, attention has moved on.

I spend my working life on both sides of the Pennines and I'm Lancashire born and bred (sorry). That means spending a lot of time in places that are regularly and unhelpfully grouped together despite having very different identities, histories and ambitions.

Leeds isn't Harrogate. Yarm isn't Whitby. And don't get me started on the whole 'is Manchester in Lancashire' debate. I recommend Reddit if that floats your boat. But I digress…

Ironically, my own job title is Head of North. I know as well as anyone that shorthand has its place. The problem comes when shorthand becomes a substitute for understanding.

What frustrates me isn't that people use the phrase 'the North', but that it's often about as deep as the conversation goes.

The shorthand isn't just frustrating, it's limiting. When places aren't properly understood, it's much harder for them to be properly represented, prioritised or served. That's true whether decisions are being made in Westminster or boardrooms.

The events of the past few weeks have given me cause for cautious optimism, however. Andy Burnham's plans for No.10 North, alongside a continued push for devolution, feel like an opportunity to change more than the machinery of government.

If the balance of power begins to shift, even slightly, perhaps the way places outside London are understood will shift with it.

It shouldn't have taken one of our own reaching Downing Street for that opportunity to come along.

But if this moment begins to create a better understanding of the places that make up the North of England, rather than another short-lived fascination with 'the North', I think that would be progress.

Alice Newsham is Head of North at Grayling.