Two weeks ago The QT published one election wish in one paragraph from one hundred people — and it’s fair to say it got people talking. A North East manifesto some called it.

Last week North East Mayor Kim McGuinness wrote for The QT and said that dealing with child poverty, health and social care, inequality and integrity were already high on her list. On Tuesday she and the country’s other Metro Mayors met with Sir Keir Starmer in 10 Downing Street having already informed him that her five asks were:

• Immediate action to safeguard 800 Hitachi jobs;
• Supporting efforts to tackle child poverty;
• Better public transport now;
• Expanding the region’s green economy;
• Going further and faster on devolution.

Today we are pleased to present our new Prime Minister with something else for him to consider — a Strategic Plan based on the North East’s 100 wishes.

We asked three QT columnists — Bob Hudson, Bethany Usher and Arlen Pettitt — what they made of the plan, only telling them later that it had been produced using Artificial Intelligence!

The Strategic Plan was presented to us by one of the 100 contributors, Stuart Lynn, a non exec director of Newcastle Building Society and former chair of the North East LEP. He said: “All I did was point ChatGPT at the contents of your web page containing all the individual wishes and asked it to produce a strategic plan from the content. It then did the analysis, consolidation, and transformation into a strategy.

“I thought the output was pretty amazing as it’s a plan based on the inputs of 100 people rather than a handful, which is how strategy is generally developed. 

“Arguably, your idea and exercise has led to the creation of the most comprehensive plan I’ve ever read for the North East. The local government and powers that be should seriously look at this and use it, or part of it, as they will never have a richer, more diverse, and more valuable stream of inputs.”

Here is the plan in full. Be good to know what you make of it — and whether you agree with our columnists below.

North East Strategic Plan

Vision

To create a prosperous, inclusive, and fair society where every citizen has access to quality healthcare, education, and opportunities, and where local communities have a greater say in their development.

Mission

To implement policies that eradicate child poverty, improve the NHS and social care, enhance educational outcomes, and increase local governance through devolution, while fostering an environment of honesty and integrity in public office.

Key Strategic Objectives

• Eradicate child poverty

• Reform and invest in the NHS and social care

• Enhance educational outcomes and skills development

• Increase devolution and local governance

• Promote honesty and integrity in public office

• Address socio-economic and identity issues

Action Plan

1. Eradicate Child Poverty

• Policy Development: Implement policies aimed at increasing family incomes through enhanced social security benefits, tax credits, and affordable childcare.

• Job Creation: Focus on creating well-paying jobs in sectors such as renewable energy, technology, and green infrastructure.

• Support Services: Increase funding for child welfare services, including food programmes, housing support, and mental health services.

2. Reform and Invest in the NHS and Social Care

• NHS Funding: Increase funding for the NHS through a restructured tax system that ensures higher contributions from higher-income brackets.

• GP Access: Implement a digital healthcare strategy to improve access to GP appointments and reduce waiting lists.

• Healthcare Workforce: Address workforce issues by increasing salaries, improving working conditions, and expanding training programmes for healthcare professionals.

• Mental Health: Prioritise mental health services, particularly for children and adolescents, with increased funding and integrated care models.

3. Enhance Educational Outcomes and Skills Development

• Educational Investment: Increase funding for schools in deprived areas to reduce class sizes and improve facilities.

• Curriculum Reform: Update the curriculum to include skills relevant to the future of work, such as digital literacy, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

• Apprenticeships and Vocational Training: Expand apprenticeship and vocational training programmes to bridge the skills gap and provide alternative career pathways.

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4. Increase Devolution and Local Governance

• Devolution Deals: Negotiate and implement new devolution deals that provide local authorities with greater control over housing, transport, and economic development.

• Local Investment: Create a local investment fund to support infrastructure projects and business development initiatives tailored to regional needs.

• Community Involvement: Establish local citizen panels to ensure community involvement in decision-making processes.

5. Promote Honesty and Integrity in Public Office

• Transparency Measures: Introduce stricter transparency and accountability measures for public officials, including regular audits and public disclosures.

• Ethics Training: Implement mandatory ethics training for all public servants to foster a culture of integrity and public service.

• Whistleblower Protection: Strengthen protections for whistle blowers to ensure they can report unethical behaviour without fear of retaliation.

6. Address Socio-Economic and Identity Issues

• Inclusive Policies: Develop and implement policies that promote inclusivity and protect the rights of all citizens, regardless of gender, identity, or sexuality.

• Awareness Campaigns: Launch national awareness campaigns to combat discrimination and promote diversity and inclusion.

• Support Services: Enhance support services for marginalised communities, including access to healthcare, legal assistance, and employment opportunities.

Implementation and Monitoring

• Implementation Timeline: Set clear milestones and deadlines for each action item, with short-term (one year), medium-term (three years), and long-term (five years) goals.

• Monitoring and Evaluation: Establish a dedicated task force to monitor progress, evaluate the effectiveness of policies, and make necessary adjustments.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Regularly engage with stakeholders, including citizens, businesses, and local governments, to gather feedback and ensure the strategy remains aligned with public needs.

Communication Plan

• Public Communication: Regularly update the public on progress through various channels, including social media, town hall meetings, and press briefings.

• Transparency: Publish detailed reports on the implementation status, challenges faced, and achievements made.

• Feedback Mechanisms: Create platforms for citizens to provide feedback and suggestions to continuously improve the strategy.

This strategic plan aims to address the diverse concerns expressed by the stakeholders, ensuring a holistic approach to governance that prioritises the well-being and prosperity of all citizens.

Bob Hudson: “Your QT editor, fond of a joke, invited contributors to comment on an anonymously written North East Strategic Plan. Like the decent folk we are, we took it seriously. It seemed to me to be a massively ambitious wish list that had little or no chance of coming to fruition, but I conceded that it ‘can’t be faulted for its scope and ambition.’

“We were then told it was a product of ChatGPT! Egg on faces? Well, to some extent.

“And now, for comparison, we have the real thing — a list of ‘five immediate priorities’ from the North East Regional Mayor, Kim McGuinness, to Keir Starmer.

“Whilst less comprehensive in scope, the similarity is certainly bearable. Both want action on child poverty, a greener economy, better public transport, and more devolution, for example, though the small print of the mayoral list will contain practical steps for change that are absent from the AI version.

“But in truth both versions avoid some unresolved issues of funding and power. Radical devolution is seen as the holy grail, but local government has been so hollowed out that it has no capacity to deliver on a more ambitious agenda, so the top priority needs to be a rebuilding of local governance at every level.

“That still leaves two huge obstacles: wrestling powers and funding from the Treasury, and overcoming the lack of joined-up government at the centre. The policy landscape is littered with failed attempts on both counts. It’s not mission impossible — but it has never been achieved before.”

Bethany Usher: “Hope springs eternal at the moment. The sense that we now have caring and competent people in charge of our country makes almost anything feel possible. Even a strategic plan as ambitious as this, which really could be the pathway for renewal of our region.

“The fact that this was written by Chat GPT from comments of people from across the North East offers some important lessons. First, that we shouldn’t be afraid of AI, but use it to help us effectively articulate our own ideas in new forms. Second, that we have much more in common than separates us when you take a step back and take ideas as a whole. At the core of this mission statement is a real cohesive sense of who we collectively are, and where we want to be.

“For the first time in a long time I can see a better future and it’s addictive. Inject this sense of purpose into my veins! Now we’ve got the ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘where’ in such a clear form, it is time for some serious conversations about ‘how’ we can come together to put this into action.”

Arlen Pettitt: “I thought I sensed a committee, but it was a robot with 100 voices! Stephen Waddington calls ChatGPT the equivalent of a new graduate… knows lots of stuff, but not always what to do with it, and definitely not an expert.

“The Strategic Plan was perfectly passable, however, but lacking some zest.

“My main critique would be that lots of it isn’t North East specific — the child poverty point is, and there’s mention of key sectors, but 95 per cent of what’s there could be written about anywhere in the country. I’m not sure the North East is any more or less concerned about taxation rates, standards in public life or protecting whistleblowers than anywhere else.

“There’s a bit of value in continually reminding the government of the existence of the North East in national debates around stuff like the NHS and education, but really you’ll get the best return by being hyper-focused on specific, tangible regional issues.

“I’d argue that if you’re going high level, then child poverty should be the singular focus. Everything else is a lever to address that. 

“That one bullet point is what you’re asking for, and the other five are enablers — better jobs, better pay, better health, better mental health, more local decision-making and investment etc etc.

“The alternative is you have a longer list, but you’re specific about asks — for example Kim McGuinness, in her letter to Starmer, asks for action to support Hitachi and safeguard jobs in rail.

“So, overall, I’d say good topics, and in the right sort of areas, but I’d push to be more specific and more obviously North East.”