Boosting Northern transport links is critical for UK economy

In response to the Government’s announcement today of £13bn investment for transport infrastructure in the North of England, Alexandra Jones, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities said:

“Strengthening transport links between northern cities is absolutely critical to boosting their local economies, and helping the UK national economy to compete globally. Without better links, these cities and the wider region won’t be able to fulfill their economic potential.

“While we welcome the confirmation of transport investments today, attention must now shift to how these plans will be delivered in practice. Northern city-regions must be empowered to play a leading role in ensuring national investment helps support an integrated, co-ordinated transport system that meets the needs of residents and businesses across the North. That means delivering substantial devolution deals for city-regions across the region, which include strategic transport powers and provide places with funding certainty over the long term.

“This will also allow city-regions to work with the private sector to build capacity and expand the pool of skills available to deliver on this ambitious schedule of investments in the years ahead.”

ENDS

For all press enquiries, please contact Brian Semple, Press Manager for Centre for Cities, on 0207 803 4316 or b.semple@centreforcities.org

Notes to editors

Centre for Cities is a research and policy institute, dedicated to improving the economic success of UK cities. We are a charity that works with cities, business and Whitehall to develop and implement policy that supports the performance of urban economies. We do this through impartial research and knowledge exchange. For more information, please visitcentreforcities.org