NE should be put first in transport decisions

Think tank IPPR North has said that the government should adopt a "pro-business North First" agenda for transport. This would help the country make the most of the economic assets of the north and will boost productivity.

Apparently, the North of England receives roughly six times less funding than London for infrastructure - an issue that has been highlighted to transport secretary Chris Grayling.

Ed Cox, director of IPPR North, said, "The north of England’s £300 billion economy is worth more than those of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined. Focusing on this is going to be critical in creating the prosperity our country is going to need over the coming years. The North must also “take control” of its own funding decisions. The evidence shows that this would help boost growth, ditching HM Treasury’s outdated and ineffective model, better suited to mitigating congestion than driving new economic growth."

In a letter from IPPR North to Mr Grayling, four key priorities were suggested:

• the low interest rates should be used to raise cash to invest in road and rail in the north and to unlock private and foreign investment in such schemes;
• pursuade HM Treasury to overhaul its flawed funding model which does not drive economic growth;
• Introduce a new Clean Air Act to tackle toxic air in major cities;
• ensure that a Bus Services Bill is passed.

Tom Kibasi, IPPR director, said that HS3 - a proposed high speed rail link connecting Manchester and Leeds - should be brought forward and must take priority over other major infrastructure projects such as Crossrail 2 and HS2.