Northern Powerhouse in need of transport investment

Politicians in northern England have urged Chancellor Philip Hammond to prioritise transport links in the region as part of his upcoming Autumn Statement.

The Labour politicians, representing Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Liverpool, say northern motorways are reaching ‘saturation point’, and claim extra transport investment would make the region to make it more attractive to investors.

Andy Burnham, Labour’s Greater Manchester mayoral candidate, said: “Decades of unfair allocations from the transport budget have left the North with an inadequate rail system and motorways that are at saturation point.

“If people in London and the South East had to put up with the North's transport system, there would be protests in the streets. It is our turn to come to the front of the queue for transport investment and that must start this week.”

Earlier this year, the government said it was spending £13 billionn on transport for the Northern Powerhouse over the course of this Parliament, including dramatic improvements to roads and railways.

Hammond is expected to announce an extra £1.3 billion to be spent on improving Britain's roads, with a large portion of the funding used for cutting congestion and upgrades to local roads and public transport networks.