The Midlands and the North are set for “game-changing” transport transformation as £4.7bn from scrapped HS2 plans are redirected. The government is today (February 26) outlining the detail on how the reallocated HS2 funds from shelved northern legs of the line will be shared out between councils outside big cities across the areas.
Local authorities will be responsible for allocating funds to the projects that will have to be in line with government guidance, reports the BBC.
The government axed parts of the HS2 line between the West Midlands to Manchester and to the East Midlands as costs for the project had spiralled. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said that the confirmation is “game-changing” for the areas that will benefit from.
But Labour has slammed the plan saying that that it’s just a re announcement of a “transformation” the Tories have “no intention whatsoever to deliver.”
Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said on social media platform X: “How many more times can they promise the North ‘transformation’ when they have no intention whatsoever to deliver?
“Their record speaks for itself: record delays and cancellations on the rail network, 22 million more potholes, record-breaking collapse in bus routes.
“Labour will reform our broken public transport system by taking back control of buses and bringing our railways into public ownership.
“And we will work with mayors and local leaders to deliver the credible and transformative infrastructure investment the North needs.”
The spending would also come after the next general election, between 2025 and 2032.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will host a cabinet meeting in Yorkshire today that sets out more details – but the precise location of the meeting hasn’t been revealed.
Local authorities spending the cash will be able to consider projects such as new bus stations, train stations, mass transit systems and roads.
Money could also be used to refurbish bus and train stations and charging points for electric cars.
The government first set out how the diverted HS2 money would be spent in October in a paper called “Network North” – such as £8.3bn fixing potholes, £1bn for northern and Midlands bus services and extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024.
