Mayor Paul Bristow statement in response to Government announcement of funding for 50 road and rail upgrade projects

Mayor Paul Bristow statement in response to Government announcement of funding for 50 road and rail upgrade projects

Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, has given this statement following the Department for Transport’s announcement of funding for 50 road and rail national upgrade projects today. 

“I am deeply disappointed that today the Department of Transport have announced over 50 road and rail upgrades totalling over £92 billion, and once again, Ely Junction and the East of England have been forgotten about. To add insult to injury, Government have also announced they will be scrapping upgrades to the A47 Wansford to Sutton. 

“There has been much talk  from the Government about generating growth right across the UK. Yet the funding our region needs is being withheld. 

“Furthermore, these funding decisions don’t seem to be delivering best value for tax payer money. Government have already announced £415 million to upgrade Victorian-era track between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. A worthy scheme which will cut journey times between Manchester and Leeds and Manchester and York and will return £2.50 for every £1 spent. But are silent on providing funding for Ely Junction, which for a similar amount, will return nearly £5 for every £1 spent and connect businesses across the whole of the UK to key ports like Felixstowe. It doesn’t make sense. 

“Just last month Government announced nearly £16 billion in transport funding for the North, the Midlands and West of England. Today they’ve announced a further £92 billion, and hailed it as the biggest ever boost for city regions in the North and Midlands. Yet Government expects our region to be content with £2.5 billion for East West Rail and Cambridge South Station – which is practically completely built anyway? It is quite frankly insulting to our residents. 

“I have said time and time again, I am ready to unlock growth that will strengthen the health and wealth of our communities. I am ready work with Government to ensure we are building the infrastructure our region needs support growth. But today the Transport Secretary spoke about ‘putting taxpayers money where is matters most’. With this the Transport Secretary is saying the East of England doesn’t matter. 

“There are deserving transport projects all over the UK that will be transformative for those places. But the Government must remember that the East of England is not London, and growth will not be achieved by levelling down areas of the country that already receive woefully low capital funding.  

 “The East of England has been far too polite with Westminster about not receiving it’s fair share. Earlier this year I asked the Government whether they intended to be builders or blockers to growth in the East. Today they answered that question for residents.  

“I will challenge this approach to capital funding and fight to ensure our region isn’t forgotten about. I will continue to warn Government not to take growth in the East for granted. And I will work with stakeholders who also want to see vitally important transport and infrastructure projects in our region get funding. It is painfully obvious for us to see, we no longer have to prove that our projects are good value for public money, but prove to Westminster that our region does matter.”