Cheshire East hopeful for funding boost in next week's government Spending Review
Cheshire East Council is hopeful the Labour government will recognise the importance of investing in transport across the borough in next week's Spending Review, following the chancellor's £15bn pledge for mayoral authorities across the UK today (June 4).
In a joint statement, the leader and deputy leader of Cheshire East Council, councillors Nick Mannion and Michael Gorman, said: "For too long we have been relying on Government decisions and investment to deliver infrastructure that will release the full potential of our borough and the wider region.
"Today's announcement from the Chancellor focusses on investment for combined authorities.
"With devolution on the horizon for Cheshire and Warrington, as part of the Government's priority programme, transport priorities will be a key catalyst to realise the growth ambitions for our region as a combined authority. Funding such as the £15.6bn which has been announced today for combined authority areas will be crucial to that.
"However, we are not there yet, and it is vitally important to recognise that investment in transport infrastructure in Cheshire East and other parts of the country is needed now if we are to truly deliver growth.
"Cheshire East is of course home to Crewe station, one of the most vital hub stations on our rail network for both passengers and freight and boasts 360-degree connectivity.
"We are therefore hopeful that next week's Spending Review will recognise this and that our ambitions for the Crewe360 hub station, as well as our plans for improved rural connectivity, the Middlewich Eastern Bypass, the A500 and Handsacre to Crewe rail connectivity will receive commitment."
Rachel Reeves £15bn transport infrastructure announcement includes the following nine metro mayors:
- £2.5bn for Greater Manchester to extend its tram network to Stockport and add stops in Bury, Manchester and Oldham
- £2.4bn for the West Midlands to extend services from Birmingham city centre to the new sports quarter
- £2.1bn for West Yorkshire to start building the West Yorkshire Mass Transit programme by 2028, and build new bus stations in Bradford and Wakefield
- £1.5bn for South Yorkshire to renew the tram network as well as bus services across Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham by 2027
- £1.6bn for Liverpool city region with faster connections to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Everton stadium and Anfield, and a new bus fleet in St Helens and the Wirral next year
- £1.8bn for the North East to extend the Newcastle to Sunderland Metro via Washington
- £800m for West of England to improve rail infrastructure, provide more frequent trains between the Brabazon industrial estate in Bristol and the city centre, and develop mass transit between Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset
- £1bn for Tees Valley including a £60m platform extension programme for Middlesbrough station
- £2bn for the East Midlands to improve road, rail and bus connections between Derby and Nottingham.
Cheshire East Council added: "For some considerable time now, we have been waiting for a decision on Government funding for Middlewich Eastern Bypass to be approved, a critical infrastructure improvement for the town that would unlock up to 1,950 new homes and employment land and potentially create up to 6,500 jobs in the local area.
"Without investment in our plans we will be left behind. We need to gain momentum now working with this Government on our journey through to devolution and an elected mayor.
"We cannot afford to stall our infrastructure plans for over 12 months – we have to deliver for residents and business now.
"A devolution agreement for Cheshire and Warrington would give us a powerful voice nationally and means that local leaders will make the important decisions about our area that matter most to our residents, communities and businesses.
"It would also mean inclusion in announcements like today's from the Chancellor and ensure we can benefit from investment such as this."
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