Transport spending five year low

Investment per head of population on transport is at a five year low for London, the north and the West Midlands, according to PTEG’s analysis of recently released public spending figures from the Treasury. The statistics show public spending on transport in London is £545 per head compared with £236 per head (2.3 times lower) for the West Midlands and the north of England combined. The figures per region are: £213 per head for the north east, £265 for the north west, £246 for Yorkshire and the Humber and £202 for the West Midlands. PTEG claims the disparity in public spending on transport between London and the regions is not matched for public spending as a whole, or for spending on education or health. It is also a relatively recent phenomenon rather than the historic norm.

PTEG Chair, Cllr David Wood, said, ‘Transport is key to unlocking growth in our cities and we have welcomed government support for transport schemes which benefit our areas – from the overhaul of the Tyne and Wear Metro to the Northern Hub, and from Leeds NGT to Midland Metro. However, what the Treasury’s own public spending figures show is that transport spend per head is declining and, within that spend, London continues to get well over double the level of spend that our regions receive. There is no argument from us that London needs and deserves a high quality transport system. Any visitor to London can see with their own eyes the scale and benefits of investment – from Oyster cards to the new Routemaster bus, and from the total overhaul of the London Underground to the new London Overground network. All this investment has been key to supporting London’s economic performance. But what holds true for London also holds true for the next tier of major cities which also need to see investment on a similar scale if the UK economy is to be rebalanced.’

Visit http://pteg.net/resources/types/briefings/pteg-funding-gap-report to download the analysis.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cookies

This site uses some unobtrusive cookies to store information on your computer, these are in place to ensure that you receive the best possible experience when using the Bus & Coach Buyer website.