'˜Rebalancing test' for transport cash offers hope for Yorkshire

TRANSPORT SECRETARY Chris Grayling will promise to give Yorkshire a better chance of securing cash for schemes.
Transport Secretary Chris GraylingTransport Secretary Chris Grayling
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling

Decisions over which transport projects receive Government money will in future be the subject of a ‘rebalancing measure’ to see whether they help spread economic growth more evenly across the country.

The Government’s new transport plan, published on Wednesday, will include a pledge to support all parts of the country “including taking account of the balance of spending between different regions”.

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Council and business leaders in Yorkshire have long complained at the gulf in sums spent on infrastructure in London and the South-East compared to Yorkshire.

Research carried out by the IPPR North thinktank published earlier this year suggested £190 per person will be spent in Yorkshire on infrastucture over the next five years compared to £1,940 in London.

Mr Grayling has previously argued the figures are heavily skewed by the costs of Crossrail and the new HS2 high speed rail line, the first phase of which starts in the capital.

He said: “Getting transport spending right is crucial for the country’s future.

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“The Transport Investment Strategy sets out a blueprint for how we can harness the power of transport investment to drive balanced economic growth, unlock new housing projects, and support the Government’s modern industrial strategy.

“This government is taking the big transport decisions for Britain’s future like HS2 and Heathrow, while delivering the biggest investment in roads and rail for a generation.

“At the heart of our approach is a plan to make transport work for the people who use it and for the wider economy.”

Under the ‘rebalancing measure’, transport schems will be prioritised where they help economic growth or support the building of new homes.

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Ministers will promise to fast-track smaller local schemes that are “proven solutions” to transport problems.

The new transport plan will deliver a commitment made two years ago by then chancellor George Osborne to ringfence money raised through car tax to pay of road repairs and improvement.

The Government will also make the money available to councils to spend on A-roads in their areas as well as using it to improve and repair the motorways and major roads looked after by Highways England.

Car tax, formally known as vehicle excise duty, raised almost £6bn last year.

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AA president Edmund King said: “Many communities are crying out for their local bypass to be built to enhance their local environment and quality of life.

“Local authority A-roads have become the poor relation or country cousins in comparison to the amounts spent on motorways and the strategic road network.

“It is imperative that the status and spending on the most important of these roads is elevated.”

A study published by the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund last year found the existing group of roads designated by the Government as “strategic” ignored 3,800 miles of council-maintained roads which provide essential connections.

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Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Drivers have long felt that too many of the billions they pay in motoring taxes each year get siphoned away to other deserving causes. Today’s announcement is a big step on the way to winning back their trust.”