The Northern Powerhouse concept, first articulated by then-Chancellor George Osborne in 2014, set out a vision for rebalancing the UK economy by investing in the cities and regions of northern England. The initiative has driven substantial infrastructure investment, from transport improvements to cultural facilities. But how has this affected the events sector, and have the benefits reached the grassroots venues and promoters that form the foundation of the live entertainment industry?
The big infrastructure story
The most visible effects of Northern Powerhouse-related investment on the events sector have been in major infrastructure. Manchester's Factory International, which finally opened in 2023 after significant delays and cost overruns, is perhaps the highest-profile cultural project associated with the initiative. The £211 million venue, designed to be a flexible performance space for music, theatre, and visual art, represents a statement of cultural ambition for the North.
In Hull, the City of Culture programme in 2017, while not formally part of the Northern Powerhouse, benefited from the broader momentum around northern cultural investment. The year of programming was widely regarded as a success, demonstrating how cultural investment could transform public perception of a city and deliver measurable economic benefits.
Leeds has seen investment in cultural infrastructure, including developments around the South Bank area. Newcastle and Gateshead have built on earlier cultural investments like the Sage (now Glasshouse International Centre for Music) and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Sheffield, Liverpool, and Bradford have all received various forms of cultural and infrastructure investment that affect the events landscape.
Transport and connectivity
One of the most important ways investment can affect the events sector is through transport. Better connections between northern cities make it easier for audiences to travel to events and for artists to route tours efficiently. The ongoing improvements to the Trans-Pennine route, investments in northern rail services, and road improvements all have the potential to make the northern events circuit more viable.
However, progress has been frustratingly slow. The cancellation of the northern leg of HS2, announced in 2023, was a significant blow to the vision of better-connected northern cities. Rail services across the North remain patchy, with chronic reliability issues on many routes. For the events industry, unreliable transport is a direct barrier to attendance, particularly for evening events when train services are reduced.
The UK events industry has repeatedly highlighted that transport connectivity is one of the most important factors in determining the viability of events outside London. Investment in this area benefits not just audiences but the entire supply chain of artists, crew, equipment, and support services.
Has the money reached grassroots?
This is the critical question, and the answer is mixed. While major cultural infrastructure projects grab headlines, the grassroots venues and independent promoters that form the foundation of the northern events scene have seen far less direct benefit from Northern Powerhouse investment.
Grassroots music venues in northern cities face the same pressures they did before the Northern Powerhouse: rising rents, business rates, noise complaints from new residential developments, and the general squeeze on consumer spending. The Music Venue Trust has consistently argued that the UK needs a specific policy framework to protect grassroots venues, and this applies as much in the North as anywhere else.
Some funding has reached smaller organisations and community events through programmes like the Arts Council England's project grants and local authority cultural funding. But these sources are often competitive, time-limited, and insufficient to address the structural challenges facing grassroots venues. A one-off grant to replace a sound system does not solve the underlying problem of an unsustainable business model.
The cultural economy argument
Advocates for Northern Powerhouse investment in the cultural sector make a compelling economic argument. The events and cultural industries in northern England employ significant numbers of people, generate visitor spending, and contribute to the attractiveness of cities for businesses and skilled workers. Cities with strong cultural offerings are more successful at attracting and retaining talent, which benefits the wider economy.
This argument has gained traction in policy circles, and it has helped justify some significant investments. But there is a risk that the focus on the economic case for culture inadvertently prioritises large, visible projects over the grassroots activity that feeds the entire ecosystem. A new £200 million arts centre is more politically impressive than protecting twenty small music venues, but the latter may ultimately do more for the cultural health of a city.
Devolution and local decision-making
The devolution of powers to metro mayors and combined authorities in several northern regions has created new opportunities for local decision-making about cultural policy and investment. Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester, Tracy Brabin in West Yorkshire, and other metro mayors have varying levels of engagement with the events and cultural sectors.
Greater Manchester's Night Time Economy Adviser role, one of the first such positions in the UK, represents an attempt to give the night-time economy (including live music, clubs, and events) a voice in policy-making. Whether this model is replicated across other northern regions will significantly affect how the events sector fares in the coming years.
What would make a real difference
For the events sector in northern England, several specific interventions would make more difference than large-scale infrastructure projects. Business rates relief for grassroots music venues and cultural spaces would directly improve their financial sustainability. Improved late-night public transport would increase event attendance and reduce the cost of nights out. Planning policies that protect established entertainment venues from residential noise complaints would address one of the most persistent threats to the sector.
Investment in training and skills development for the events workforce, from sound engineers to event managers, would strengthen the sector's capacity. And recognition of the events industry as a legitimate economic sector deserving of dedicated policy attention, rather than an afterthought in tourism or leisure strategies, would change how decisions are made.
The balance sheet
Northern Powerhouse investment has, on balance, been positive for the events sector in northern England, but the benefits have been unevenly distributed. Major infrastructure projects have added to the cultural capacity of northern cities, and the broader narrative of northern ambition has raised the profile of the region's events industry. But the grassroots venues and independent promoters that make the scene work day to day have not always seen direct benefits.
The next phase of investment needs to address this gap. A healthy events ecosystem requires both flagship venues and grassroots spaces, both major commercial operations and community-driven initiatives. Getting this balance right will determine whether the Northern Powerhouse delivers lasting cultural benefits or merely adds shiny new buildings to cities whose grassroots scenes continue to struggle.
