Theresa May must now put North first when it comes to transport

Theresa May needs to start making the north one of her priorities.

‘The North is ready to speak with a united voice on slow and unreliable transport links’

Though John Cridland CBE and his team have clearly done a lot of work pulling together 56 local authorities ahead of the launch of a Strategic Transport Plan, the quango already has its work cut out.

For, while the North is the first region in the country to receive specific transport powers from the Government, responsibility for smart ticketing only goes so far – TfN has not been afforded the freedom given to its counterpart in London. Its role is to ‘advise’ Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, who can veto plans.

Despite this ‘landmark’ announcement, it’s also unclear whether the Government will make the necessary funding available to TfN to upgrade the region’s road and rail network – trust in Mr Grayling is, frankly, at an all-time low after he snubbed a Commons debate on this very issue where it emerged that the Transport Secretary has still to reply to a letter sent by MPs in the North-East four months ago on July 17.

As such, next week’s Budget is a timely opportunity for the Government to make a fresh start. It should not hesitate to do so. Former Treasury Minister Jim O’Neill’s call for Prime Minister Theresa May, Chancellor Philip Hammond and the aforementioned Mr Grayling to make a joint statement in support of the Northern Powerhouse is a sensible one.

With renewed suggestions that the Northern Powerhouse is, once again, stuttering because of Downing Street’s post-election political vacuum, such an undertaking might provided some much-needed impetus and signal an end to the mixed messages that are stalling progress. After all the potential prize is a significant one if, for example, high-speed rail in the North, and other long-overdue schemes here, had the same status as Crossrail 2 in London – a four per cent increase in productivity, investment of up to £100bn and the creation of 850,000 new jobs by 2050. Surely someone in the Government’s upper echelons will recognise the size of this opportunity?

‘The North is ready to speak with a united voice on slow and unreliable transport links’