Insider Media Limited

Never has the Manchester 'family' of organisations been as important as it is now to the region’s business community. That was the overriding message of Insider's Manchester Economic Forum.

The government has identified Manchester as one of a number of core cities that it’s willing to devolve powers to, with the chief responsibilities being for economic development and skills.

The breakfast event focused on some of the detail of the new economic leadership in the city region and how businesses can access the Manchester family.

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said the Manchester family had a crucial role to play after the demise of the Northwest Regional Development Agency and the centralisation of other business support agencies back to London.

"When we talk about the Manchester family it’s quite an inclusive term," he explained. He said it had grown from including the likes of Marketing Manchester and MIDAS to the universities, city council and others. Leese said it now had its own ‘architecture’ which made it better able to absorb changes in the political landscape.

He was joined on the panel by Mike Emmerich, chief executive of New Economy, and Rachel Combie, director of strategic marketing at Marketing Manchester.

Describing what the Manchester family is, Emmerich added: "The narrow Manchester family gives you a group of expert teams, whether it’s about research and strategy; marketing and communications; or business support. These people are the best in class.

"That’s what the Manchester family gets you. It gives you an expert organisation. It doesn’t give you the plush offices. It’s very Manchester.

"Who would have predicted that Manchester would be the biggest-visited city after London and Edinburgh, but it is. A lot that is because of the work of Marketing Manchester. We’re all doing great things but we’re not doing enough."

Emmerich supported Leese's challenge to business. "His [Leese's] play was not what your city can do for you but what you can do for your city. It’s not just a question of organisations doling stuff out to companies as a family.

"It’s about a two-way exchange. The message to businesses is we can help but fundamentally businesses have to be up for it in terms of looking at new ways of doing things and working in different ways."

Combie said: "There are different forms of the Manchester family. There’s what you might call a core. They consist of the likes of New Economy, Manchester Solutions, Marketing Manchester and MIDAS.

"The broader Manchester family consists of ProManchester, CityCo, Transport for Greater Manchester and others. The third strand of the Manchester family is the businesses who buy into the city.

"The message to businesses is there is an opportunity to have a voice, possibly through membership. Manchester is a very well networked city. The private and public sector work very well together. Unless you’re part of it you can’t influence it."

In a lively question and answer session Emmerich predicted very little jobs growth in 2012 and added: "What we will start to see is a modest rebound quite broadly based across the economy."

Of the high speed rail network planned to reach the North West by 2033, Emmerich admitted: "I suspect many of us in this room will be pushing up daisies before it comes to Manchester."

Leese also scoffed at the suggestion Manchester should have an elected mayor on the lines of London. He said imposing a mayor on the city was at odds with the council’s approach of building from the bottom up. "What’s on offer in Manchester isn’t comparable with London," he said.

He added that sporting excellence wasn’t a guarantee of economic success, pointing to the example of Liverpool. "Sport as part of a coherent package is something you can build part of your economy on."