JUST over half of small and medium-sized businesses in the region say they aren't confident in how the Northern Powerhouse will benefit the economy.

The 51 per cent of bosses were responding to a survey in Yorkshire and the Humber, commissioned by Yorkshire Bank owner CYBG.

Similar research showed greater confidence among SMEs in the north-east and north-west.

Yorkshire and the Humber results also showed that 63 per cent of respondents didn't understand what impact the Northern Powerhouse could have on their business.

The findings were published as CYBG announced the appointment of its chief executive, David Duffy, to the board of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.

He said: "SMEs play an important role in our economy and they are facing a range of challenges, which comes across in this research.

"There has been growing momentum around the Northern Powerhouse.

"These figures show that there is strong support from the business community but they also reveal that more needs to be done to convince businesses – especially in Yorkshire and the Humber – that the Northern Powerhouse will bring opportunities, investment and growth.

"If our SMEs aren't confident, it will be a struggle to unlock the economic potential of the north.

"Joining the board is an extremely positive milestone for the bank and I will be sharing our experience, and the views of our SME customers."