GOVERNMENT SPENDING THREE TIMESIN CAPITAL

THE North East is lagging way behind London on transport spending – and things are only going to get worse.

According to Government figures, London is getting treble what our region receives to invest in road and rail.

IPPR North, a leading think tank, say the gap is due to explode in the coming years when major projects like HS2 and Crossrail 2 further tip the balance in favour of the South East.

In the capital, a total of £8.2bn was spent by public-sector organisations in 2016-17, which works out as £943.90p per person living in the city.

But for the North East, the total sum was £767m – or just £291.26p per head.

D e s p i t e receiving a £337m boost

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling in the form of funding for the Metro, only the East Midlands received a smaller slice of public transport funding. The data was revealed in Parliament by transport minister Baroness Sugg and includes all capital and current spending from the Department for Transport, local councils and other public bodies. Baroness Sugg defended the Government’s record, saying decisions were “based on a fair and rigorous process designed to ensure that spending goes where it is most needed”. She added: “London receives a substantial number of daily commuters and visitors, both domestically and internationally, who will be using and benefiting from the roads and public transport networks but who aren’t London residents. “The unique scale and urban density of London also means that large-scale public transport networks are particularly important. “It should be additionally noted that big projects, such as Crossrail, which is the largest infrastructure project in Europe, can in any case significantly distort these figures.” P e r -