Cumbria will take its place at a new landmark investment summit showcasing the North of England on the global stage.
The Great North Investment Summit is announced today by The Great North, a partnership founded by northern mayors and council leaders to create prosperity and opportunity.
The summit, aimed at helping to unlock investment and jobs for the region will take place on Monday 18 May 2026, ahead of UKREiiF, The UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum, in collaboration with UKREiiF, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Office for Investment (OfI).
The summit will be dedicated to promoting the North’s investment opportunities, which could add £118bn to UK PLC with the right investments.
Cllr Jonathan Brook, Chair of the Joint Executive Committee which is overseeing the introduction of Cumbria Combined Authority and Leader of Westmorland and Furness Council, said: “The first ever Great North Investment Summit is a great opportunity for Cumbria to showcase its potential alongside other areas of the Great North. It is vital that we take our place at high profile events like this to let people know about our story and what we have to offer.
“We must harness all the benefits offered by greater profile, powers and funding from devolution to help us deliver on our ambition to drive forward economic growth in Cumbria and across the North of England.”
Chair of The Great North, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, said: “We are seizing control of the North’s economic destiny, ending the days where our regions are overlooked.
“By establishing the Great North Investment Summit, we are creating the first ever forum dedicated to promoting the North of England collectively, demonstrating our unrivalled investment potential, and telling our story on the global stage with passion and pride. We are determined to bring jobs and opportunity to the communities we serve, and this Summit is a signal of our intent and ambition.”
The summit responds to growing calls from business and civic leaders for a dedicated, place-led, investor-focused event to promote the North’s economic potential on a global stage.
It aims to showcase pipeline-ready investment opportunities across the North’s growth sectors, position the Great North as a world-class investment brand for growth, strengthen relationships with sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors and international partners.
The event will showcase the North’s creativity, culture and quality of life as part of its offer to investors and talent to locate in the North.
Further details on the agenda and speakers will be announced in due course.
In October, both Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland Councils gave their consent to the Government’s devolution proposals, paving the way for a new Cumbria-wide strategic authority. Cumbria Combined Authority will have strategic overview of economic development across Cumbria.
It will be established in early 2026, operating for a year without a Mayor, before Cumbria’s first Mayoral election in May 2027.