Leaders’ transport cash plea for cities in North

‘Investment is vital for employers’ – Powerhouse

LEADING FIGURES behind the Northern Powerhouse vision have urged the Government to ensure Yorkshire’s cities are at the forefront of a £1.7bn drive to improve transport infrastructure and boost economic growth.

Ministers have today announced initial details of the Transforming Cities fund to address weaknesses in city transport systems and spread prosperity by improving connectivity, reducing congestion and introducing new mobility services and technology.

Prime Minister Theresa May, Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark will today visit the West Midlands, where the combined authority has been allocated £250m from the fund to spend on transport. Mr Hammond is expected to announce more details in the Budget on Wednesday on how the fund will be allocated.

The Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s director Henri Murison admitted there is a “clear need” for investment in the West Midlands, but stressed funding needs to be made available in the North where many leading cities including Leeds, York, Sheffield and Hull are located.

He added: “The case for investment is clear, because as well as transport across the North we know getting around within cities by tram and bus is also vital so young people, for instance, can access apprenticeships or work placements.

“In the Leeds City Region, the Chamber of Commerce is clear the need for improved transport infrastructure is regularly cited by employers as barriers to growing their businesses, with the car too often the only effective way for people in towns like Halifax or Dewsbury to get to work.”

Ministers will also today commit to working with industry to boost spending on research and development to 2.4 per cent of GDP – the average level among developed nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – by 2027.

Both announcements form part of the Government’s industrial strategy, with announcements in the Budget expected to pave the way for the plan to improve productivity and create higher-skilled jobs. Mr Hammond’s set piece on Wednesday will be followed by the launch of the Industrial Strategy White Paper next Monday.

The Chancellor has also warned there is no silver bullet to solve Britain’s housing crisis, but yesterday confirmed the Budget will contain plans to help get 300,000 homes built a year. He has stressed fixing the housing market is a “crucial part” of ensuring millennials are not the first generation since the Black Death to be less prosperous than their parents.