The Yorkshire Post says: New direction over transport

It would also be churlish not to acknowledge the needs of London and the South East – the capital city, like it or not, is the engine room of the economy and will continue to be so.

Yet one reason why London has become too dominant for the country’s long-term good is fundamental flaws in the allocation of transport funds highlighted by a national committee headed by Barnsley Council leader Sir Steve Houghton.

By using narrow financial criteria such as population density and wages, the South East is always going to win over the North and successive governments have been too slow to recognise the resulting imbalance. Greater emphasis needs to be given to ‘socio-economic’ factors – and how investment in new road and rail links could turbo-charge the Northern Powerhouse, and those cities and communities, where better infrastructure will open up priceless new investment opportunities.

The challenge is achieving this when the newly-formed Transport for the North has such limited powers in comparison to its London equivalent, a failing pointed out very forcibly by Sir Steve, and when this region has a poor track record when it comes to delivery.

Take the controversial trolleybus scheme in Leeds – it had to be scrapped, at great expense, because it was never going to enhance the social mobility of the low-waged when this was its primary objective. Though just one example, the point is the same – the onus is on leaders here to acquire the necessary expertise, and fast, so they can submit schemes that are so compelling, and offer so much value, that even Transport Secretary Chris Grayling can’t snub Yorkshire and the North as he accelerates a second Crossrail route in London.