Once in a lifetime chance to level up Britain
Calls to devolve spending under levelling-up plans
AREAS OUTSIDE London “deserve a London-style transport system” MPs have been told, as the importance of not forgetting the levelling-up agenda was underlined.
Speaking at the Commons Transport Select Committee yesterday, three of England’s metro mayors appealed to MPs to make the case for Government grants for bus services to be “properly devolved” to transport bodies in England’s combined authority areas.
But the move would be just one part of creating a system by which the Government could fulfil its levelling-up agenda, MPs heard.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham told the committee: “Levelling up, obviously, has to come back with a vengeance out of this because it’s going to be the poorest parts of the country that are hit hardest by the economic crisis as they have already been hardest by the health crisis.”
It comes as a further 184 deaths were recorded yesterday in those who had tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total across the UK to 42,153.
In Yorkshire, 2,755 people have now died, with six of those recorded yesterday.
An Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report suggested while there is no simple North-South divide in the likely impact of coronavirus across England, in poorer northern areas, which also have relatively older populations, children may be especially at risk from lost schooling.
Mr Burnham said: “The levelling up really has to come back on the agenda very quickly, but levelling up has to be much more than about long-term infrastructure, that’s often how it’s spoken about. It has to become about everyday transport, the cost of everyday transport, the reliability of everyday transport, integrating it across different systems, we all deserve a London-style transport system.”
There have been concerns that the cash spent responding to the coronavirus may mean the promises made by Government to help close the North/South divide would not come to fruition. But Government ministers, and the Prime Minister himself, have repeatedly said they are still committed to plans to improve life for those outside of London.
Mr Burnham told the committee that public transport capacity will be constrained “for as long as we don’t have a vaccine, there’s no question about that”.
He added: “This is a unique opportunity now to reform public transport outside of London, because we have public subsidy going into rail, into bus, into light rail, and we’re really looking to the committee I guess, to give us more control over the system so that we can do more.
“This is a moment I think, for the Government to put real meaning behind levelling up in saying that it is going to treat the other cities in the same way that it treats London and put that money in.”
SIR KEIR Starmer has warned council leaders face a choice between “cutting core services or facing bankruptcy” as he pushed the Prime Minister to give more support to local authorities.
During Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons yesterday, Sir Keir asked whether the Government has “kept its promise”, made by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick on March 26, to do “whatever it takes” to support local authorities in their Covid-19 response.
It comes after a report released this morning by the County Councils Network. It found all 39 of the county and unitary authorities included in their study could use up their available reserves in 2021/22 to cover a funding shortfall of £2.5bn.
Boris Johnson replied: “We have put £3.2bn extra into local government to tackle coronavirus.”
But Sir Keir said councils were presented with a choice of “cutting core services or facing bankruptcy.”
He said: “Either outcome will harm communities and mean local services can’t reopen.
“That will drive up poverty, something the Prime Minister says he doesn’t intend to do. Local councils have done everything asked of them in this crisis, the Government hasn’t. Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and actually do something?”
Mr Johnson said he had outlined support for local government, adding the country can be “very proud” of its investments and the response of local government officials.
He added: “There are some councils, particularly Labour councils alas, that are not opening their schools when they could be opening them.
“And I say to him, I hope for the last time, now is the moment when he can say to those Labour councillors that it is safe for kids to go back to reception, to year one, to year six, to early years. Will he now say it?”
Sir Keir replied: “Every week the Prime Minister seems to complain that I ask him questions at Prime Minister’s Questions. If he wants to swap places, so be it.”
Mr Johnson urged Sir Keir Starmer to encourage people to send their children back to school as it is safe.
Sir Keir said: “The Prime Minister says poverty has not increased. I just read a direct quote from a Government report from a Government commission produced last week which says 600,000 more children were living in relative poverty than in 2012.”
Sir Keir added: “The social mobility commission has a clear answer to my question – this anticipated rise in child poverty is not driven by forces beyond our control.
“I’m sure the Prime Minister would agree that an even higher child poverty rate would be an intolerable outcome from this pandemic, so what is he going to do to prevent it?”
Mr Johnson said: “What we’re talking about is what has actually happened, which is a reduction in poverty.” He added that one of the best ways to help the poorest children in the country “would be to encourage all kids who can go back to school to go back to school now because their schools are safe”. Sir Keir failed repeatedly to answer whether he would urge parents to send their children back to school.
After PMQs, Sir Keir spokesman was more frank in rebuffing Mr Johnson’s questioning.
The Labour leader’s spokesman said: “Ultimately it was Gavin Williamson who said on June 9 we’re not able to welcome all primary children back for a full month before the summer.
“That was a Government Uturn, that was a Government failure and this is a Government with the majority of 80, it should be taking the responsibility for its own failures.”