Yorkshire leaders must 'bang the drum' to keep HS2 on track, warns infrastructure commission chief

Yorkshire leaders are being urged to hold the government's feet to the fire over major transport schemes in the region, as the head of the National Infrastructure Commission warns the delivery of HS2 and HS3 must be "top priorities" for the new administration.
Lord AdonisLord Adonis
Lord Adonis

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post at the launch of the Commission's new Needs Assessment report, Lord Adonis stated that "urgent action" on such projects is crucial to unlocking economic growth and boosting the country's international competitiveness.

The rallying cry follows confirmation that the Government will bring forward legislation for next phase of HS2 during this Parliament, and a renewed commitment to delivering high speed services linking the North East to the North West.

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But business leaders have joined the Commission (NIC) in warning that the looming prospect of Brexit makes it more important than ever to ensure the UK's infrastructure is up to scratch.

The new NIC report lists a total of 12 "priority" projects which it claims require "urgent action" to prevent them from stalling or "collapsing entirely".

These include pressing ahead with the construction of a new runway at Heathrow, and setting out detailed proposals for the roll-out of 5G.

On HS2, the body calls on ministers to publish a final plan for the route between the Midlands and Leeds by the end of next month, when it should also aim to assign contracts.

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And on the HS3 project to link northern cities like Manchester and Leeds, it says the Government should set a deadline for the end of this year to publish plans for phase one.

Asked whether he believed it is still possible for ministers to meet the 2033 deadline for completing the HS2 route to Yorkshire, Lord Adonis told this paper he was "optimistic" the scheme can be "kept on track".

But he urged "all the political leaders in Yorkshire and across the North" to lobby their MPs "hard" to avoid any delays.

"In my statement today I called on the government to publish the plan to take HS2 all the way to Leeds by the end of July. I know that those plans are already in draft so its straight forward for the government to bring those forward," he said.

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"[But] with a hung Parliament there is always a danger of delay, and I hope that council leaders, mayors and MPs representing Yorkshire and the North will bang the drum very loudly to keep HS2 on track."

He would not comment on whether the Tories should be more open to the idea of borrowing in order to deliver infrastructure pledges more quickly, but did say he "welcomed" the Government's promise to "increase spending significantly".

He said plans to commit 1.2 percent of GDP to infrastructure "means there is enough money to pay for HS2 and HS3 linking the Northern cities", adding "I hope that we can see both of those develop in the 2020s".

On broadband, he acknowledged that ministers "should be more ambitious" on their proposals for a universal service obligation (USO), but stressed the priority should be the delivery of the current 10 megabits per second commitment.

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And on the delayed electrification of the Transpennine route, he said it remains a "crucial project" but should be delivered as part of broader upgrades on the line.

"I know Transport for the North, Network Rail and HS2 are working together to look at how you can get electrification and a big increase in capacity at the same time," he said.