We cannot afford to wait when it comes to planning the infrastructure needed for Yorkshire’s future - Sir John Armitt

This may be little comfort if infrastructure services are not currently serving you well: looking to the long term cannot be an excuse for the recent state of train services in the north, for instance.

Current service levels are failing the communities they are there to serve, and risk compounding the impact of Covid on commuting patterns by locking in people’s use of their cars. It’s an example of our infrastructure services not being resilient enough to foreseeable risks and I hope a solution can be found urgently.

But across all infrastructure sectors, we also need to get on with the preparatory work that will enable the services we need for the second half of this century.

Working with local and national leaders to improve how the UK plans infrastructure is central to the work of the National Infrastructure Commission. While we don’t tend to assess specific projects, we do give government independent advice on how to improve the processes for prioritising, planning, funding and integrating key infrastructure networks.

Doing that successfully relies on having access to the best available evidence and an understanding of what different priorities are around the UK.

That’s why I and my fellow Commissioners are excited about the opening this week of our new office in Leeds.

A permanent base in the region will give us more opportunities to engage with local political and business leaders on the infrastructure needs of Yorkshire and the North more widely.

Last summer on a visit to Leeds I heard from Tracy Brabin and other regional leaders how investing in infrastructure – particularly to improve transport connections and stimulate a low carbon economy – was crucial to ensuring West Yorkshire retains its position as an economic powerhouse.

The recent history of plans to improve rail links between Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham have shown there is work to be done to improve the way decisions are taken on major infrastructure projects, particularly at scoping stage. Things shouldn’t be promised unless we’re sure they can be financed and delivered.

The same goes for improving public transport in and around West Yorkshire. The £200m government has allocated to help develop future plans should be a down payment on significant future investment to give the region the network it needs.

And there are plenty of other decisions to make. Yorkshire, like the rest of the UK, will need to upgrade, or rebuild, much of its infrastructure over coming decades to ensure it is resilient to a growing population and the impacts of climate change.

Work is underway to create nature based solutions across the Aire catchment, alongside existing hard engineering solutions, to help address the risks of both surface water and river flooding.

By sharing office space with the UK Infrastructure Bank, which helps finance certain types of projects, our respective teams will be able to work closer together on promoting these transformative changes.

Making it easier to listen to organisations across the region is particularly important this year. This autumn we’re publishing the UK’s second National Infrastructure Assessment, looking ahead 30 years to identify what infrastructure the country will need and how those needs can best be met.

An important step is hearing a range of perspectives on each region’s infrastructure priorities.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we’ll always be able to support every project proposed in every region. Part of our role is advising where the government needs to prioritise taxpayer funding and how it can encourage more private sector investment in infrastructure.

But we have long been advocates of the need to devolve more decisions about infrastructure from Westminster to local leaders, giving them the resources they need to deliver ambitious strategies tailored for their areas.

We will continue to bang that drum, while also thinking about how national level policies can best serve people across the country.

Sir John Armitt is chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission.