A
thinktank


says
its
calculations
show
that
the
north
of
England
received
£140
billion
less
for
transport
projects
than
London
between
2009-10
and
2022-23,
which
would
have
been
enough
to
build
seven
Elizabeth
Lines.

An
analysis
of
Treasury
figures
by
the Institute
for
Public
Policy
Research is
based
on
the
equivalent
amounts
for
each
person
in
the
population.
While
transport
investment
in
London
was
£1,183
for
each
citizen,
in
the
North
East
it
was
just
£430,
although
this
figure
would
not
have
necessarily
included
more
recent
investment
in
a
new
fleet
of
trains
for
Tyne
&
Wear
Metro
and
the
reopening
of
the
Ashington
line.

Yorkshire
and
Humber
was
only
slightly
better
off,
with
£441,
and
the
North
West
spent
£540
a
head.
The
average
in
the
North
was
£486.

These
calculations
have
been
published
today
in
the
wake
of
last
week’s
Treasury
announcement
of
£15.6
billion
for
public
transport
projects
in
city
regions
outside
London
over
the
next
five
years,
and
two
days
before
the
Spending
Review.

Almost
exactly
two
thirds
of
the
total
of
£15.6
billion
was
for
city
regions
in
the
North,
at
£10.5
billion.
The
individual
Mayors
will
decide
which
projects
in
their
regions
should
receive
investment.

IPPR,
IPPR
North
and
Lord
Jim
O’Neill,
who
chairs
the
Northern
Powerhouse
Partnership
and
is
a
former
Treasury
minister,
have
published
‘Great
Northern
Rail’,
which
is
their
plan
to
improve
rail
services
in
the
North.

Their
call
follows
an
earlier
announcement
by
former
minister
Lord
Blunkett,
who
unveiled
his
own
proposals
for
railways
in
Yorkshire
on
16
May.
These
improvements
would
need
a
total
of
£16.4
billion
between
now
and
2040,
plus
a
further
£2.5
billion
for
trams
in
Leeds,
Bradford
and
Sheffield.

Lord
Jim
O’Neill
said:
‘Good
governance
requires
the
guts
to
take
a
long-term
approach,
not
just
quick
fixes.
So
the
Chancellor
is
right
in
her
focus
on
the
UK’s
long-standing
supply-side
weaknesses
–
namely
our
woeful
productivity
and
weak
private
and
public
investment.

‘Backing
major
infrastructure
is
the
right
call,
and
this
Spending
Review
is
the
right
time
for
the
Chancellor
to
place
a
big
bet
on
northern
growth
and
begin
to
close
this
investment
chasm.
But
it’s
going
to
take
more
than
commitments
alone
–
she’ll
need
to
set
out
a
transparent
framework
for
delivery.’

Marcus
Johns
is
senior
research
fellow
at
IPPR
North.
He
added:
’Today’s
figures
are
concrete
proof
that
promises
made
to
the
North
over
the
last
decade
were
hollow.
It
was
a
decade
of
deceit.

‘We
are
124
years
on
from
the
end
of
Queen
Victoria’s
reign
–
yet
the
North
is
still
running
on
infrastructure
built
during
her
reign
–
while
our
transport
chasm
widens.

‘This
isn’t
London
bashing
–
Londoners
absolutely
deserve
investment.
But
£1,182
per
person
for
London
and
£486
for
northerners?
The
numbers
don’t
lie
–
this
isn’t
right.
This
government
have
begun
to
restore
fairness
with
their
big
bet
on
transport
cash
for
city
leaders.
They
should
continue
on
this
journey
to
close
this
investment
gap
in
the
Spending
Review
and
decades
ahead.’

The
Chancellor
is
due
to
report
the
outcome
of
the
2025
Spending
Review
in
two
days
from
now,
and
she
has
already
predicted
that
there
will
be
more
spending
on
railways.

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