Govt outlines how HS2 money will be spent in the North West

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that £1.5bn from the shelved £36bn Birmingham-Manchester leg of the high-speed rail line will go towards Local Transport Fund schemes in the region in the years from 2025 to 2032.

The money is part of the government’s Network North project, which was announced in October as the government scrapped the Northern phase of HS2. At the time, the government committed £2.5bn to Northern local transport projects in smaller cities and towns – with another £2.2bn reserved for the Midlands.

• READ MORE: What is Network North?

Now, we have a better understanding of how that money will be spent and where. A total of 27 local authorities are set to receive yearly additional funding starting in 2025 to help support the building of new roads, filling of potholes, installation of EV charge points, improvement of pedestrian access, and the refurbishment of bus and rail stations.

The Department for Transport will advise councils on what projects to use the funding on.

In the North West, eight local authorities will benefit from the funds. Lancashire County Council has received the money, with a total of £494m committed for use by 2032. Other councils to be allocated funds were Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumberland, Warrington, and Westmorland and Furness.

Sunak described said the money would “deliver a new era of transport connectivity” in his announcement.

“This unprecedented investment will benefit more people, in more places, more quickly than HS2 ever would have done, and comes alongside the billions of pounds of funding we’ve already invested into our roads, buses and local transport services across the country,” he said.

Transport secretary Mark Harper added: “Today’s £1.48bn investment is truly game-changing for the smaller cities, towns, and rural communities across the North West, and is only possible because this government has a plan to improve local transport and is willing to take tough decisions like reallocating funding from the second phase of HS2,” he said.

Lord Patrick McLoughlin, chair of Transport for the North, threw in his support for the announcement as well.

“By having greater clarity on the funding that’s available, and consolidating funding streams, it helps remove inertia and accelerates delivery on the ground,” McLoughlin said.

Cumberland Council executive member for sustainable, resilient, and connected places Cllr Denise Rollo welcomed the additional funding.

“Maintaining a safe and reliable road network in Cumberland is a key priority for us, and with 3,400km of road to look after, every pound is welcome and will be put to good use to benefit road users across the whole of our area,” she said.

“The council will now work with local leaders and communities through our community panels to develop detailed plans to ensure the funding is spent on local transport priorities to get the best outcomes for our residents across Cumberland,” Rollo continued.

“We will also explore opportunities for more ambitious transport improvements over the next seven years which could include increasing the number of electric vehicle charge points, junction improvements, safer streets initiatives for children to walk to school and improved street lighting.”

You can see the full list of North West authorities to benefit from the additional funds, as well as the total they are set to receive during the seven years, below.

• Blackburn with Darwen – £117m
• Blackpool – £121m
• Cheshire East – £181m
• Cheshire West and Chester – £168m
• Cumberland – £149m
• Lancashire – £494m
• Warrington – £121m
• Westmorland and Furness – £129m total