An analysis of transport spending per person per year has found the North lost out on £140bn or more between 2009/10 and 2022/23 compared to North London.
After conducting an analysis of Treasure figures, the Institute For Public Policy Research (IPPR) and IPPR North argued that, across this period, London received £1,183 per person, whereas the North only received £486 per person over the period.
The amount varied across the North. The North East saw £430 per person and the North West £540, while the Midlands saw even less - the region as a whole received £455 and the East Midlands received the lowest of all UK areas at just £355.
Marcus Johns, senior research fellow at IPPR North commented: ‘Today’s figures are concrete proof that promises made to the North over the last decade were hollow. It was a decade of deceit.
'We are 124 years on from the end of Queen Victoria’s reign – yet the North is still running on infrastructure built during her reign – while our transport chasm widens.
‘This isn’t London bashing - Londoners absolutely deserve investment. But £1,182 per person for London and £486 for northerners? The numbers don’t lie – this isn’t right. This government have begun to restore fairness with their big bet on transport cash for city leaders. They should continue on this journey to close this investment gap.’
Former treasury minister and chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, Lord Jim O’Neill said: ‘Good governance requires the guts to take a long-term approach, not just quick fixes. So the Chancellor is right in her focus on the UK’s long-standing supply-side weaknesses – namely our woeful productivity and weak private and public investment.
‘Backing major infrastructure is the right call. But it’s going to take more than commitments alone – she'll need to set out a transparent framework for delivery.’
Image credit: Shutterstock @Janaka Dharmasena
