Greens have accused the government of providing ‘scraps’ for transport funding across English regions compared to London and the South East. They point to the announcement of just £200 million to develop a mass transit network in West Yorkshire [1] compared to billions spent in London.
Green Party transport spokesperson, Matt Edwards, who is a Green Party councillor in Bradford, said:
"For decades transport spending in London and the South East has eclipsed the scraps we see in the North and other regions of the country. The paltry amounts promised to West Yorkshire to help deliver a new rapid transport network to one of the largest metro areas in Europe simply reinforces this imbalance. Regions outside London and the South East are being sold short.”
“The dire financial situation of Transport For London and the cuts to services across the South East show even these areas are not getting the funding required. But proportionally the rest of the country absolutely needs more funding if this government is serious about "levelling up.”
The Green Party recently called for axing the £27bn road building budget and diverting the money to pay for huge investment in public transport [2]. Councillor Edwards points to Greens in power delivering improved and affordable public transport:
“In Scotland Greens successfully pushed for free bus travel for all those under 22 and in Herefordshire, Greens on the Council ensured that Covid Recovery funds were used to provide free weekend buses. And just this week in Sheffield, after years of campaigning, Green councillors secured the return of a free circular bus service in the city centre [3].
"We need to transform how people in this country get around to get more people out of cars, and on to public transport, cycling and walking. The funding the government is offering is not going to deliver that anywhere."
Notes