Millions of people in the North and Midlands are set to benefit from £4.7billion of further Government investment in local transport from reallocated HS2 funding, with money to improve public transport, reduce congestion and upgrade local bus and train stations. It is the first transport budget of its kind that is specifically targeted at smaller cities, towns and rural areas, empowering local people and local leaders to invest in the transport projects that matter most to their communities.
Warrington will receive £121,251,000 to improve the local transport connections that people rely on every day, building on the more then £42million invested into Warrington’s new zero emission electric bus fleet, new bus depot and Bus Service Improvement Plan, as well as the £33million road resurfacing funding.
Local authorities will receive additional funding from April 2025, giving them time to develop their funding proposals and prepare to hit the ground running to start delivering them as early as possible. Over the seven years as a whole this funding will be on average at least nine times more than these local authorities currently receive through the local integrated transport block which is the current mechanism for funding local transport improvements in their areas.
The announcement comes as part of the Government’s long-term plan to reallocate the £36billion saved from HS2 Phase 2 into local transport improvements across the country – benefitting more people, in more places, more quickly than the full HS2 project would have done.
This funding increase is allocated to the North and the Midlands because most HS2 savings are from those regions. All of the £19.8billion previously committed to the Northern leg of HS2 will be reinvested in the North and all of the £9.6 billion committed to the Midlands leg will be reinvested in the Midlands.
Welcoming the announcement, Warrington South MP Andy Carter said:
This is really excellent news and shows the Government’s commitment to levelling up in the North. Transport infrastructure is holding us back, getting from one side of Warrington to the other takes too long and in simple economic terms, it impacts productivity and increases costs for business. We all know there are too many traffic jams across Warrington and there are roads where junctions need to be improved.
This additional funding of around £120million will mean we can tackle some of the capacity issues, like dealing with the Gainsborough Road/Chester Road junction and making changes to the Cockhedge Roundabout which could to be re-engineered to reduce delays, or looking at how we can secure further crossings over the Manchester Ship Canal.
This funding, which is being re-allocated from HS2, is in addition to £42million we’ve already received from the Government to improve our local bus network, which includes money for 105 brand new zero emission buses, plus a commitment to £2 capped fares for adults and £1 for children. It’s also in addition to the additional £33million provided to Warrington Borough Council to fix the potholes and re-surface roads. Warrington will also sit at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse Rail network with a highspeed line between Liverpool and Manchester.
The funding agreement will also mean Warrington Borough Council will need to work with MPs and local people to agree the priorities to ensure projects which will make a real difference can be progressed.
The Transport Secretary, Mark Harper MP added:
Today’s £4.7billion investment is truly game-changing for the smaller cities, towns, and rural communities across the North and the Midlands and is only possible because this Government has a plan to improve local transport and is willing to take tough decisions like reallocating funding from the second phase of HS2.
This funding boost will make a real difference to millions of people, empowering local authorities to drive economic growth, transform communities, and improve the daily transport connections that people rely on for years to come.
