The Bishop of Durham has told Premier the North East of England "often feels forgotten or misunderstood".
Rt Revd Paul Butler told Inspirational Breakfast there was "no doubt" people feel a north-south divide in Britain.
Before the election the Conservatives promised more powers would be devolved to cities around England, and last week George Osborne announced plans for Manchester to have a mayor.
The chancellor has previously pledged to create a 'northern powerhouse'.
Rt Revd Butler said: "I really hope that the promises that were made about new powers for the North East and investment in the North East will prove to be true."
In January figures showed the gap between economies in northern and southern England had dramatically widened in a decade.
A report by the Centre for Cities showed that for every 12 jobs created in southern cities since 2004, just one was created in the north.
The Bishop of Durham will be sworn into the House of Lords on Tuesday.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
Article by Antony Bushfield
Antony Bushfield is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
