The success of any economic growth strategy for the North West is fundamentally hampered by its current infrastructure deficit. This centres on the state of road, rail and air infrastructure, and on the availability of energy and telecommunications capacity to underpin and sustain a modern competitive economy.

At a recent event, the deficits were said to be "not an accident of geography, but a consequence of policy".

This Chamber is lobbying both governments to ensure that the deficits are approached from a regional and not a jurisdictional viewpoint.