Political leaders in the Liverpool City Region have called on the Prime Minister to involve them in the decision making process over the future of HS2.
Speculation has mounted around the future of the major rail infrastructure linking London, the Midlands and the north of England, with rising costs said to be a factor in reports the government could scrap the project or not allow the line to run to the North West. This has increased fears around the knock on effect to the Northern Powerhouse Rail scheme speeding up links between Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.
Now Liverpool City Region’s metro mayor and council leaders have written to Rishi Sunak asking him to involve our region in decisions about the area’s future infrastructure rather than “deliberations being taken for us.”
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In the letter, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and Cllr Mike Wharton, leader of Halton Council, said they were becoming “increasingly concerned” by swirling rumours about HS2 and its knock on consequences for Northern Powerhouse Rail. The latter scheme would include a mix of new and upgraded lines to speed up links across major northern cities including Liverpool, using a section of the HS2 line from Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly, as well as the planned upgrades to Manchester Piccadilly station.
In a thinly veiled barb at the Prime Minister, the Labour pair wrote: “In 2017, a little-known backbencher told the House of Commons that ‘the Northern Powerhouse’ is a wonderful phrase, but the people of northern England deserve more than a slogan. They need action.
“That backbencher rose to be Prime Minister. We could not agree more with your sentiments; HS2 is a key part in delivering the infrastructure improvements that our areas need to make the most of our potential.”
Messrs Rotheram and Wharton said while they understood the need to deliver value for money around the project it was “unfair” people in the north could be “forced to pay the price for the government’s prevarication in delivering on its promise.” They added: “We are not asking for a blank cheque, but for you to consider the economic cost of cutting the North off from modern transport infrastructure.”
The Metro Mayor and council leader said they were available to meet Mr Sunak when comes north for the Conservative Party conference in Manchester next month. The pair said a new twin trackline from the Liverpool City Region to Manchester had long been campaigned for which could have the potential to generate tens of thousands of jobs and billions for the region’s economy.
They said: “We do not believe that London and the South East would ever be forced to choose between such vital transport projects. We are writing to you to ask us to involve us in the decision making process, because so far, deliberations about HS2 have been taken for us.”
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