The government has confirmed that the North West will receive £1.48bn from the Local Transport Fund from next April.
The funding comes from reallocated HS2 funding and is being invested into new bus and train stations, better public transport and methods to ease congestion with millions of people from Cheshire and Lancashire to Cumberland and Blackpool set to reap the benefits of the investment next year.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Transport Secretary Mark Harpe yesterday as part of Network North and is the first transport fund of its kind to be targeted at smaller cities, towns and rural areas.
Rishi Sunak said: “Through reallocating HS2 funding, we’re not only investing nearly £1.5 billion directly back into smaller cities, towns, and rural areas across the North West, but we are also empowering their local leaders to invest in the transport projects that matters most to them – this is levelling up in action.
“The Local Transport Fund will deliver a new era of transport connectivity. This unprecedented investment will benefit more people, in more places, more quickly than HS2 ever would have done, and comes alongside the billions of pounds of funding we’ve already invested into our roads, buses and local transport services across the country.”
The government plans to hold both local MPs and councils to account to ensure the funding is properly allocated within the areas and local councils will be expected to produce delivery plans for which projects they choose to invest in.
Mark Harper added: “Today’s £1.48bn investment is truly game-changing for the smaller cities, towns, and rural communities across the North West, and is only possible because this Government has a plan to improve local transport and is willing to take tough decisions like reallocating funding from the second phase of HS2.”
However, Labour dismissed the announcement, with the shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh saying: “The Conservative record speaks for itself – record delays and cancellations on the rail network, 22 million more potholes, and a record-breaking collapse in bus routes.”
She added: “Only the Conservatives could have the brass neck to promise yet another ‘transformation’ of transport infrastructure in the Midlands and north after 14 years of countless broken promises to do just that.”
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Featured image (c) Jake Hughes
