The power of decentralisation: scaling ambition from the ground up

With April marking the start of a new financial year for the country, it is also traditionally a time for many businesses to consider and adapt their plans for the next 12 months. Yet, in today’s uncertain times, many leaders find it difficult to predict what the next 30 days will look like, let alone define their goals for a full year.

The result is that many businesses wait for milestones and policy announcements to provide a sense of certainty. In recent times, that certainty has rarely arrived.

Take last November’s Autumn Budget, for example. Speculation was allowed to build for months in advance, without a clear sense of how businesses could plan. As it turned out, very little changed. Yet the long build-up had a negative impact on confidence, with fewer than half of UK firms (46%) expecting an increase in turnover as we entered 2026.

Given the volatility on the world stage, it is hard to imagine that business confidence has increased since then.

This reinforces a longstanding conviction I have held: business prosperity is not found in a policy document. It comes from the vision, energy and drive of business owners and leaders themselves, who set the direction and adapt, rather than simply waiting for policy to happen.

This was one of the principal reasons for launching True North in 2023. Now a collaborative network of over 600 primarily privately owned, owner-managed businesses from across the North of England, we seek to bring like-minded organisations together to build a genuine sense of community, share insights and create an environment for greater collaboration across the region.

Our goal is to demonstrate that unlocking the region’s potential will not come from top-down directives alone, but through stronger collaboration with purposeful, high-performing businesses themselves.

Breaking out from short-term political cycles

The landscape for northern businesses has improved significantly over the past decade, supported by major infrastructure investment. We saw this reflected recently in signals from the Chancellor in her Mais Lecture, including a £1.7bn commitment to northern city regions. This highlights a focus on “renewing Britain” by transforming northern towns into modern economic centres across sectors such as advanced manufacturing, life sciences and the creative industries.

However, while central government investment plays a role, more decentralised decision-making is also critical to the North’s success, as highlighted in Brabners’ recent Making Places Work report. The research revealed a strong correlation between long-term devolved powers and civic success. Notably, eight of the top 10 local authorities for civic engagement are part of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority or Liverpool City Region.

Devolution has thrived in these areas because of consistent leadership. Mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram have had the space to think in decades rather than days. This kind of stability creates the conditions for businesses to grow and succeed.

Hearing the collective business voice

For devolution to work effectively, businesses must be part of the conversation.

This is where the True North Network is ready to play its role. Every event we organise, whether a webinar with policy leaders or a roundtable dinner with founders from across the North, is focused on understanding the real-world perspective. We look at what businesses are experiencing, the opportunities ahead and the challenges they face. We listen, we feed back and we give them a voice.

By bringing together different ecosystems, we enable leaders to learn from one another and apply what works in their own environments. This shared insight helps shift the focus from “what if” to “what’s next”.

We advocate for privately owned, owner-managed businesses because they are growing faster than the national average, yet remain under-recognised. They are also deeply invested in the places they operate, having been founded, scaled and staffed within their local communities.

What we hear consistently from these businesses is that they want to be left to get on with the job. Uncertainty and reduced confidence arise when they feel unheard and are expected to follow, rather than lead. Without a grassroots, business-first approach, there is a risk of reinforcing the centralisation that has long held back the North’s economic potential.

By embracing devolution, supporting place-based investment and fostering collaborative communities of like-minded leaders, while giving them the freedom to deliver, we can begin to close the gap between productivity and prosperity. It is time to back ourselves and build the collective confidence to lead from the ground up.

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