A Manchester technology company Managing Director has spoken of his frustration with the Chancellor of the Exchequer neglect of northern businesses.
Timur Gok, founder of Ping Proxies, criticised Chancellor Rachael Reeves decision to invest in the corridor between Oxford and Cambridge as “the Europe’s Silicon Valley” despite acknowledging Manchester as the continent’s biggest and fastest growing technology hub.
The Chancellor announced the plans to promote economic growth, which also included the expansion of Heathrow airport, at Siemens Healthineer in January.
Mr Gok said: “It felt as though Manchester and the wider Northern UK were treated as an afterthought, with most of the focus going to the Heathrow runway expansion and increased investment in Oxford and Cambridge.
“I do not believe the government has established a clear or coherent technology or growth strategy for the country, let alone Manchester. Since the new government has taken office, they have been notably pessimistic.”
Timur Gok, Managing Director of Ping Proxies.
The Chancellor said investment in the Centeral-Southern region, which includes Bedford and Cambridge, will generate a further £78bn for the UK economy in the next 10 years.
Funding plans include an East-West railway, making it easier to travel between the cities of Oxford and Cambridge.
The Conservative government cancelled plans for HS2 rail links to go beyond Birmingham, leaving out Leeds and Manchester, as well as scaling back Northern Powerhouse Rail in 2023. This was criticised by Labour leader Kier Starmer while he was in opposition, who said the Conservatives had “completely failed and let down everybody in the north.”
Timur from Ping Proxies also shared his wider grievances with the last budget.
“Anti-business measures, such as the increase in National Insurance, further restrict growth and disadvantage start-ups in particular as you still have to pay these taxes even if you’re loss making”
But Labour’s Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett said: “potential for good growth in Greater Manchester is huge.”
He added “Salford City Council approved plans for a vast new data centre in the city to support the future growth of our burgeoning technology sector. In addition to this, we were pleased that the Chancellor has recognised how Mayoral Development Zones can enable opportunities to unlock land and enable growth in key areas across the region.”
The treasury was contacted for a comment but none was provided.