Rotheram’s rail investment call
METRO mayor contender Steve Rotheram has called for a ‘Crossrail for the North’ to be the nation’s next transport priority.
Mr Rotheram, Labour, said he wanted to see plans unveiled in the Chancellor’s Budget.
His demand followed a report published on Monday, February 20, from the IPPR thinktank which suggested £1,500 more will be spent on transport per person in London than in the North of England in coming years.
IPPR said that while the cost for all northern transport projects together will be £6.6bn, the capital’s Crossrail alone will cost £8.3bn from 2015-16 onwards.
The report said the North West was faring the best of the regions outside London and ‘looks to be benefiting from the Government’s Northern Powerhouse’ but still lagged way behind the capital.
The IPPR said that to fund a west-east service between the North’s big cities, the Treasury should allow for Northern Infrastructure Bonds to raise capital.
And it recommended that Transport For The North body should be given Transport For London-style powers to invest, and the National Infrastructure Commission granted greater room to set priorities.
It also called for HM Treasury to announce funding in northern infrastructure, with a view to leveraging private sector funding.
Mr Rotheram, who could become the first Liverpool City Region metro mayor representing Halton and ● five other boroughs in May, said: “It is significant that a respected, independent think-tank like the IPPR has endorsed the importance of transport to the Liverpool City Region’s economic prospects.
“Infrastructure investment is key to stimulating the city region’s post-Brexit economy so the Government cannot turn its back on our area whilst it continues to funnel transport spending to London as it risks widening the North-South divide.
“In the Chancellor’s budget in March, he needs to clearly set out investment for Crossrail for the North as the next national transport priority as it is key to rebalancing the UK economy.
“I want to ensure that the 1.5m people in the city region can access apprenticeship and employment opportunities, but we cannot achieve that without the appropriate infrastructure investment and that is what I will be fighting for if I’m elected in May.”