Test for Transport for the North over appointing a new chief executive - The Yorkshire Post says

The body, set up to transform transport links across Northern England, is already under scrutiny, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps recently describing it as a “talking shop” and his department criticising Transport for the North for how long it has taken to draw up its plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail, the flagship high speed rail project connecting major cities in the North.

That its board is now at odds on how to handle the appointment of a new chief executive will do little to instil confidence in the organisation’s ability to work in a co-operative manner on major transport infrastructure projects for which the North has long-been crying out.

However, the chief executive is, undoubtedly, a crucial role.

Whoever takes over at the helm will have responsibility for bringing to a reality much-needed pan-Northern connectivity in order to improve productivity and opportunities and drive economic growth in the region.

It is imperative that the right person for the job is, of course, the one who gets it, yet it is of equal importance that the new chief executive also has the backing of elected leaders from across the political landscape.

Transport for the North has to strike that delicate balance and only by doing so can the body work at its best for the more than 15 million people and one million businesses that call the North their home.

Indeed, perhaps now more so than ever, given the incertitude of its future, does the organisation need to prove its worth, and ensure that the North gets the most out of the Government’s levelling up agenda.

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