UK transport spending favours London, says think-tank

Date: 24/6/2013

Transport spending in the UK is skewed towards London, with residents in the capital receiving from more money per head than those in all the nation's other regions combined.

That's according to think-tank IPPR North, which claimed the Government has opened a fresh North-Southdivide through its failure to balance funding appropriately.

Indeed, the statistics show that 520 times more money per person is spent on transport in London than in the North-East.

Commenting on the findings, Ed Cox, Director of IPPR North, said: "Skewed spending is nothing new but these figures will strike most people as deeply unfair.

"The problem is that they will continue to hold back northern economic prosperity."

However, a Department for Transport Spokesperson insisted that the Government is continuing to make significant investments in northern areas of the country, with £199 million set aside for regional and sustainable transport initiatives - as well as £384 million for road improvements.

Posted by Mary Treen

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