Transport for the North’s mission to rebuild region – Barry White

Job losses. Businesses going under. Whole industries and local economies fighting to survive.

Last week we saw nationally that just between April and June employment in the UK fell by the largest amount in over a decade, and it has been confirmed that our economy was in recession.

Although our economy has started to grow again between May and July, it has a lot of ground to recover.

The immediate support packages, whilst not perfect, have been welcome relief for many, but as we come out of the initial shock of the crisis and look towards a medium-term management plan and longer-term recovery strategy, we must take the opportunity to reignite our ambitions.

Being bold and brave are things the North excels at. Our region is not one to shy away from a challenge, and we’re not about to downgrade our goals now.

We’ve been hard-hit by Covid-19. Many of our local areas have had to reimpose restrictions recently. And many parts of the North have the highest unemployment rates.

We need to act now, with one eye on the immediate needs of our region, and one on how we’re going to build back better for the long term.

Job creation must be the foundation for our recovery. By creating employment opportunities, we underpin so many other areas – ensuring people can feed and house themselves, supporting their physical and mental wellbeing, and yes, putting money back into the economy through spending and leisure activities.

As it has done since it became England’s first statutory Sub-national Transport Body in 2018, Transport for the North (TfN) is speaking with one voice for our region, and has a plan to enhance connectivity and create jobs that will be the cornerstone of our recovery and growth.

The Northern Infrastructure Pipeline outlined in TfN’s Economic Recovery Plan is an ambitious programme to rebuild and transform the North.

It calls for an immediate injection of infrastructure investment – into shovel-ready projects that could be delivered in the next six to 18 months – to kickstart the economy.

From there, confidence is generated, and the next round of schemes – over the next two to four years – begin.

This leads into a sustained pipeline of investment, with the region having control over delivery, that ensures transformational projects like Northern Powerhouse Rail are taken forward at pace to support future generations with their ambitions.

This £5bn investment, over the next three decades, will create up to 20,000 jobs and bring a £3 return for every £1 spent.

The 166 projects in this Northern Infrastructure Pipeline, covering road, rail, active travel and smart ticketing, will boost our people and businesses now; over the coming months and years; and for generations to come.

They will boost employment and support the construction industry. Give businesses the confidence to make plans for their future and ensure they have the connectivity they need to bring them to life.

They will also ensure that people can get around in ways that suit our new living and working arrangements. And they will mean that, over the next few decades, our young people can truly build back better for themselves, our economy and our region.

Furthermore, and just as importantly, the Economic Recovery Plan is a green, sustainable strategy for decarbonising our transport network and ensuring it puts the people and businesses using it at its heart.

This is not transport for transport’s sake – it’s about what we need to level up and enable our region to reach its ambitions in the ways that are most appropriate to those who live, work and play here.

None of these asks are new. Nor are they unachievable. This is an Economic Recovery Plan by the North, for the North.

We need it to be delivered by the North, and we need to start now.

Barry White is chief executive of Transport for the North.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson