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Transport improvements vital for Northern prosperity, says IPPR

Transport improvements are the key to economic prosperity in North of England, according to think tank IPPR.

A report which will be previewed at the London Policy Conference on Wednesday will argue the case for a new transport body to be created for the North, modelled on Transport for London.

Collated by IPPR and Centre for London, the review calls for a new body to take over from the Northern Rail Franchise, major hub stations, rolling stock, and to implement smart ticketing.

Over the last 10 years, the Northern regions have contributed approximately one fifth of the UK’s economic wealth, while London has added around one quarter.

IPPR suggested that this was down to poor transport links and infrastructure as a major downfall, while IPPR North’s Director, Ed Cox, said the North needs a Boris Johnson figure to champion and unify the North.

Mr Cox said: “London’s Mayor has been a driving force within the corridors of power in Whitehall to win more local powers for London and to get Londoners’ voices heard when it comes to big national transport projects.

“The North needs a big hitter who can ensure the North ‘speaks with one voice’ and can bang the table at Westminster on the issues that matter most to the people of the North of England.

“Londoners can see the impact that Transport for London has had every time they use their Oyster Card to go from train, to tube, to bus.

“A new ‘Transport for the North’ could coordinate big transport infrastructure projects, like a ‘Northern crossrail’ to cut the journey time from Liverpool to Newcastle in half.”

In the capital, transport spending is £2,731 per head, whereas in Yorkshire this figure drops dramatically to £201 per head, while the North West receives £134 per head, and the North East is only given £5 per person.

Further to this, the UK as a whole is seemingly lagging behind other European countries, as IPPR North’s report showed that Germany currently has seven cities in the top 20 European cities, while London is our only entry into this list.

Recommendations to set up a “Transport for the North” which would regulate busses and carry out the duties currently operated by the Highways Agency have been put forward by the think tank.

The creation of a new transport body would hopefully delivery integrated transport projects across car, bus and train travel across the Northern regions.

IPPR North also recommended that powers should be decentralised and attributed to local authorities and Passenger Transport Executives, who could oversee regional franchising, concessionary fares and local station management.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .