South-west business leaders call for greater transport funding for region

Date: 11/2/2013

Business leaders in the south-west have called for greater public funding for transport initiatives in the region, the Western Daily Press reports.

According to Government figures, transport spending per head of the population in the area stretching from Cornwall to Dorset was £212 in 2010 and 2011 - significantly lower than the £774 per head seen in London.

In an attempt to gauge the appetite for making improvements to the region's transport infrastructure, the South West Chambers of Commerce asked local firms to explain how restricted investment in the network has inhibited their operations.

Rupert Cox, Chief Executive of the Somerset Chamber, said: "What we need to prove to the Government is that there is a demand for greater investment in both road and rail infrastructure in Somerset and the south-west."

With flooding having adversely affected both roads and railways in the south-west, the hope is that future initiatives will benefit from greater Government backing if the response from the Treasury is positive.

Posted by Sarah Bailey

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