The Great North mayors and leaders have written to the Chancellor ahead of the Budget, calling for investment that will unlock investment and opportunity across the North.
In a joint letter, The Great North calls for major investment in infrastructure, expanded business support and measures to tackle child poverty.
On infrastructure, the group is demanding the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail in full, complementing other rail investment across the North of England to deliver better connectivity across all places to create ‘a spine’ that connects the whole North.
The full NPR network would include a new line from Liverpool to Manchester, running from Liverpool Lime Street via Liverpool Gateway, Warrington and Manchester Airport to an underground through station at Manchester Piccadilly. The new line would continue onwards to Huddersfield and Leeds via a new station in central Bradford and include electrification of the Leeds-Sheffield line.
It also wants to see significant upgrades to the Hope Valley and unblocking the East Coast Main Line north of Northallerton by reopening the Leamside Line to ensure effective services through to Sheffield, Hull and the North East; delivering previously committed improvements north of York and electrification of the Midland Main Line to Sheffield are needed.
The full upgraded NPR network would lead to better connectivity for Chester, Crewe, Lancashire, Cumbria and the Tees Valley, and create more capacity for freight and local passenger services.
Mayors and leaders are also calling for a new funding settlement, devolved powers and reform of business support, to back the north’s entrepreneurs and innovators.
This would be achieved by ensuring the successor to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) delivers devolved, stable, and long-term support for business growth across the North, including through the rollout of its new Local Growth Fund, and a replacement of the Rural England Prosperity Fund for rural areas; redesigning fragmented business support services and devolving powers to Mayors and local leaders, designing a model that leverages private sector innovation, simplifies access through a single front door; and focusing funding and support on entrepreneurship and builds a thriving ecosystem of start-ups and scale-ups – providing direct support for businesses.
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The Great North’s third ask is to tackle child poverty, ensuring every young person in the North has a fair shot at a brighter future by lifting the two-child benefit cap — taking 100,000 children in the North out of poverty.
Chair of The Great North, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness (pictured), said: “The North of England has to be at the vanguard of the Government’s mission to unlock the growth the country and communities badly need.
“That’s why we’re calling on the Government to make game-changing investment in our infrastructure and wholesale reform of business support so we can unleash the potential of people and businesses.
“We stand ready to deliver for UK PLC, and there is no time to waste – so we can create jobs and opportunity for people we represent.”