Could football undermine devolution bid?

The British Government has been trying to devolve powers to city regions in England.  Greater Manchester has forged ahead, but the north-east has lagged behind.

Helen Barbour, the vice-chairman of wax jacket company Barbour, has expressed concern that the rivalry between Newcastle United and Sunderland risked jeopardising the region’s bid for devolution.

The British Government has been trying to devolve powers to city regions in England.  Greater Manchester has forged ahead, but the north-east has lagged behind.

Helen Barbour, the vice-chairman of wax jacket company Barbour, has expressed concern that the rivalry between Newcastle United and Sunderland risked jeopardising the region’s bid for devolution.

The animosity between Newcastle and Sunderland for more than a century goes deeper than football. “I don’t know how much of the rivalry is real or imaginary” said Andrew Hodgson, a business entrepreneur. “But there is a sense of frustration that getting Sunderland to feel part of the overall [devolution] message is the most difficult challenge we have. They do feel some kind of inferiority to Newcastle.”

There is intense rivalry between Manchester City and Manchester United, but then many of their fans come from outside Greater Manchester.