Infrastructure needs to be taken seriously for a fairer economy and net zero aims

Jonathan Webb, senior research fellow for the North at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), told a breakout session at the conference that the UK has some of the worst regional divides amongst developed countries.

He said: “Infrastructure matters for two reasons. The first is net zero. We’re simply not going to get to net zero unless we have a more sustainable infrastructure.

“Infrastructure also matters for a second reason and that’s because you can’t build a good, productive, fair economy unless you have a good infrastructure.

“The UK has some of the worst regional divides of any developed country. A lot of that stems from the fact that our economic model is so imbalanced because of where we prioritise our infrastructure.

“You look at somewhere like London and the South East. The reason that the economy has been able to grow, has been able to become dynamic and connect places is because there’s an infrastructure.”

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Thank you

James Mitchinson