Graham reports back from Friends of Scholes Park meeting
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by Lib Dem Team on 23 August, 2016
A new analysis has shown that over the next four years the Conservative Government will spend just £280 per person on transport projects in the North compared to £1,870 per person in London. More money will be spent on Crossrail than on every single northern project put together.
“The Conservatives have promised a Northern Powerhouse but yet again the North is being treated as the poor relative.” said Mark. “The simple truth is that if we in the North got even half the funding of London we could transform our transport.”
As our MP before 2015, Mark Hunter delivered the A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road – due to open in a year. But there are other critical projects that need funding and aren’t getting it because the money is being spent in the South.
“We want to see improved train services, a rail service for Cheadle, a proper fix to the Kingsway lights and queues on the A34, more buses, the relief road completed to help cut traffic on the A6 and better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.” said Mark. “The Tories need to deliver on their promises – every single one of those would be affordable if we got London funding up here.”
7 Comments
Could we not have another Brexit campaign – one where the rest of country becomes independent of London?
Yet more Tory rhetoric delivering only benefits to London sadly. Much of the London work could be paid for by the City anyway as chief beneficiaries.
Iain
Are you saying the new relief road was delivered because of Mark Hunter.
You were in power for 5 years and had the opportunity to deliver all the above.
You also controlled Stockport for 18 years.
Hi Bruce – yes, the new Relief Road was delivered in large part because Mark – along with the Lib Dem council – fought for it after the previous government put the plans on ice.
No, we didn’t have the power to make wholesale changes to infrastructure spending priorities, but we’ve long campaigned for it and will continue to do so.
When we do get money in the North do we spent it wisley, Manchester Road cycle route still not finished nearly 2 years after construction began and most cyclists choose not to use the bit that is finished when traveling from Cheadle towards Parrs Wood, A6 relief road very slow progress no weekend or Bank holiday work taking place. Cheadle High Street pavements worse than before they were replaced and no sign of getting the shoddy work rectified, stop moaning about the government and look to our own local failings before complaining about others
Hi Roy – you’re right, not everything is perfect – though the Relief Road is on target to complete in Autumn 2017 as always planned, we’ve already had the contractors back once to fix some of the High Street issues, and though there are some issues with Cheadle High Street outstanding it certainly isn’t worse than it was before the work was done (I remember all the complaints about issues now fixed!).
Of course, a big part of the issue is the money available – hence the need for fair funding. To take one example, we can’t produce London-style cycle facilities on a tenth of the money London is spending.
Treasury rules require a good return on investment (min 8% I think) so London always wins.
Actually its not quite as bad as it seems in terms of disparity as some of Crossrail is funded by London itself.
Also if one thinks we are doing badly look at the North East where they get less than 1/3 of what we get per capita!
The NPH needs special treatment to reverse the inevitability of London continuing to hog all the resources and the Lib Dems are absolutely correct to keep per suing this.