THE 21st-CENTURY strategy unveiled today, to make the North West into a world-class centre for the production of high-quality goods and services, is a back-to-the-future vision aimed at putting our region back in the big league.

And that is where it belongs.

For our region's role as an economic powerhouse has been diminished by at least two decades of decline of the manufacturing base that sprang up from this the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

But the talent and work ethic remains - waiting to be tapped as the springboard for revival.

This commendable strategy by the North West Partnership - comprising business, local government, higher education and labour - recognises all that.

But our concern is that, without funding, government commitment and dynamic action enabling our region to claim our fair share of the economic cake in the coming century, the plan will struggle to achieve real success.

For the problem, from which the North West suffers in attracting investment and resources for rebuilding, is a lack of muscle against that of other regions, not just in Britain, but in Europe and beyond. To begin with, we need a powerful development agency, armed with all kinds of real grants and incentives for new and expanding businesses to locate in our region - of the kind that Scotland and Wales have got and which have successfully attracted numerous work-creating and economy-enlarging enterprises to their localities.

The big developments by multinationals such as Samsung, Toyota and Nissan - ones of the magnitude that create not just enormous economic boosts in themselves, but stimulate massive spin-off business and employment activity around themselves - have all gone elsewhere.

We are not on a level playing field with the competition.

It is time, then, that the government recognised this.

And perhaps a glimpse of what is needed is in Labour's plans for regional government; ones that might give the North West a stronger voice and make it able to offer greater financial attractions in the commercial market place - to the effect that it gets a body of the big-league development agency kind instead of the make-weight Inward agency we have at the moment.

But, as it remains, we have the vision, the sales talk, the talent and the willing workforce, but lack the real back-up to get into the finals of this crucial economic contest.

All those involved in the battle for the North West's revival must fight for that too - and government must listen - so that this vision for the future can become the reality our region deserves.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.