Mayor calls for fairer funding measures

A regeneration boss is calling for measures to ease pressure on family budgets and strengthen regional transport.

North East mayor Kim McGuinness has urged the Government to use next week’s Budget to lift the two-child benefit cap and extend long term support for cheaper bus fares. 

She says the region’s £2.50 single fare and £1 youth fare have already supported more than seventy million journeys and encouraged a sharp rise in young people using public transport.

In meetings with senior figures at the Cabinet Office and Treasury, the mayor outlined a package of strategic transport priorities backed by her office. 

These include securing future funding for affordable fares, upgrading the A19 Moor Farm roundabout to unlock housing growth and reduce congestion, as well as boosting capacity on the Northumberland Line with additional trains at peak times.

The mayor also pushing for the reopening of the Leamside Line through County Durham as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail, a move she believes would ease pressure on the East Coast Main Line and support wider economic development.

Mayor McGuinness said: “We must act so our families can keep more of their money in their pockets. 

“That’s why I’m making our demands heard ahead of the Budget and calling for the two-child cap to be lifted alongside measures to make public transport affordable. 

“I’ve made clear to Treasury ministers that we need some long-term assurances on funding to keep our £2.50 local capped bus fare, that’s 50p cheaper than the national cap, and our £1 fare for young people.  

“But that’s not all. 

“We also must see the long overdue upgrade of the A19 Moor Farm roundabout, so drivers no longer need to wait in ridiculously long queues, more trains for our incredibly successful Northumberland Line and the re-opening of a new railway line through County Durham.”

Alongside transport improvements, the mayor has repeated her call to remove the two-child cap on benefits, arguing that doing so would lift thousands of children out of poverty across the North. 

She has also highlighted the need for further investment in green jobs, with ambitions to create 24,000 roles by 2035, as well as renewed support for Sunderland’s Crown Works Studios to expand the region’s creative industries.

Mayor McGuinness added: “I will always fight for our fair share of funding that’s why I’ve urged the Chancellor to back our plans, so local people get the world-class transport they deserve.”  

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