Working people in cities and towns from Sunderland to Solihull will benefit from the biggest investment in regional transport, as every part of the country prospers under Plan for Change.
Working people across the North, the Midlands and the South West will benefit from the biggest ever investment in buses, trams and local train infrastructure in city regions as the Chancellor today promises the renewal of Britain to make all parts of the country better off.
In a speech in Greater Manchester, Reeves is expected to say that “a Britain that is better off cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country”, adding that the “result of such thinking has been growth created in too few places, felt by too few people and wide gaps between regions, and between our cities and towns”.
Reeves will say that the Spending Review next week will take different choices, with investment in a “new economic model – driven by investment in all parts of the country, not just a few”.
She will unveil the first investment announcements from the Spending Review, with £15.6 billion of funding for local transport projects in England’s city regions – including South Yorkshire, the North East, the East Midlands and Tees Valley. The funding – a more than double real-terms increase in capital spending on local transport in city regions by 2029/30 compared with 2024/25 – will empower local leaders to invest in transport projects that will make a difference to their local area.
The funding will also mean the Mayor of the West Midlands can build a metro extension to Birmingham’s sports quarter, making a start on his ambitions to deliver mass transit from East Birmingham to North Solihull.
Metro extension connecting Birmingham City Centre to new sports quarter, unlocking £3bn investment from private investors. This is the first phase of new mass transit from East Birmingham to North Solihull.