The Great Northern Conference proves that a fight for a better future is still on - The Yorkshire Post says

In fact, what we’re seeing is greater collaboration between Northern leaders when it comes to demanding better from Westminster.

That was never more evident than when Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, stood up on stage and took up Bradford’s cause with the city now expected to miss on the Northern Powerhouse Rail link. He was right to say that Whitehall cannot impose the wrong infrastructure on the North. That is what is holding the region back.

At the same time, Transport for the North was hosting a meeting where the severe disruption faced by millions of passengers across the region was being discussed.

It’s a shame that the Transport Secretary Mark Harper was unable to make the trip to Manchester, where the conference took place yesterday. Instead, opting to address the audience through a pre-recorded video message.

A trip to the North, preferably via rail, would have enabled Mr Harper to see first-hand the state of the transport system across the North. It would have also enabled him to take questions and understand the views of people up here better.

Given he has been in post for only a few weeks, we hope that Mr Harper will find the time to make such a visit, before the next crisis at the heart of Government leads to further upheaval.

What is clear is that business and civic leaders in the North are increasingly singing from the same hymn sheet on core issues. And the chorus of voices will get louder, not quieter, the more the Government fails to deliver promises it has made to the region. It has become one North.