Northern transport body risk becoming 'glorified' consultants after Government ‘power grab’

The organisation which works to improve transport in the North has been told it must not become a “glorified consultative committee” after the Government stripped it of control over Northern Powerhouse Rail and slashed its funding.
By Nathan Hyde
Published 30th Mar 2022, 17:17 BST
Updated 30th Mar 2022, 17:18 BST

Councillor Liam Robinson told a Transport for the North board meeting yesterday the organisation must have “the right teeth and involvement” in the high-speed rail project, after it was given an advisory “co-sponsorship” role by the Department for Transport.

It comes after the Government was accused of a “power grab” in November, when it refused to adopt Transport for the North’s plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail and took charge of the project.

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Whitehall then reduced the amount of funding given to Transport for the North to support work on Northern Powerhouse Rail by almost £75m. The organisation also applied for £10m of core funding – the amount it received in 2020/21 – but was only given £6.5m.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, Acting Chair Councillor Louise Gittins Cheshire West and Chester and Martin Tugwell Chief Executive Transport for the North attend a meeting of the Transport for the North Board at the Queens Hotel in LeedsMayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, Acting Chair Councillor Louise Gittins Cheshire West and Chester and Martin Tugwell Chief Executive Transport for the North attend a meeting of the Transport for the North Board at the Queens Hotel in Leeds
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, Acting Chair Councillor Louise Gittins Cheshire West and Chester and Martin Tugwell Chief Executive Transport for the North attend a meeting of the Transport for the North Board at the Queens Hotel in Leeds

Transport for the North has also lost 41 employees - around 30 per cent of its workforce - so far as they are now working for or providing a “dedicated service” to the Department for Transport. It is also planning to make redundancies.

Councillor Robinson, a former chair of the organisation, said: “We don’t want to end up in a situation with what is proposed becoming some kind of glorified consultative committee, it really needs to have the right teeth and involvement.

“We’ve got to make sure all those detailed points that we raise on behalf of the North and put into the process are going to be properly addressed, reflected and responded to.”

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At the meeting in Leeds, the board approved an interim budget of £3.9m for the first quarter of 2022/23.

Financial controller Paul Kelly said “all activities are being reviewed to make sure they are of the highest priority”, as the organisation looks to cut costs.

Chief executive Martin Tugwell said the organisation will need to be “smaller” going forward and it invited staff to apply for voluntary redundancy last week.

But he also said the organisation will continue to champion the North and work to secure long-term improvements for passengers.

South Yorkshire mayor Dan Jarvis, who sits on the board, said Transport for the North is “under very significant pressures” and it needs to review its priorities.

Related topics:NorthGovernmentNorthern Powerhouse RailDan Jarvis