Dan Jarvis MP, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, has called on the Government to deliver its promise to level up the economy by investing in South Yorkshire in the forthcoming Budget.
Mayor Jarvis has sent a detailed Budget submission to the Treasury, challenging the Government, and the new Chancellor Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, to support the region’s ambitions and reduce national inequalities through sustained investment and devolution of powers.
The Mayor highlights that devolution, together with the Sheffield City Region’s upcoming Strategic Economic Plan (SEP), will enable South Yorkshire to create good, new jobs, drive inclusive growth and address the climate emergency.
From a transport perspective, the letter calls on the Government to support the reshaping of the local transport system including committing a major contribution to the £400m costs of renewing the Sheffield Supertram as part of our wider Mass Transmit Network programme.
The Mayor said: “This is fundamental to achieving our ambition for a better public transport system and realising the full potential of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.”
In the letter, he also says the Government must also ensure that the communities and businesses of South Yorkshire are better connected to the other great towns and cities across the North and the UK by committing:
- To delivering a £300m+ rail infrastructure scheme to connect Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the regional and national rail networks. He says the project should be formally adopted within the Government’s Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline with business case development resources allocated and that it is deliverable within the next 5 years.
- To deliver in full HS2 and the complete Northern Powerhouse Rail programme. This includes a new Dearne Valley Parkway Station, a new mainline rail station in Rotherham and the extension of tram-train services across South Yorkshire.
He said: “Here in the Sheffield City Region we stand ready to deliver major projects, build productivity and secure new investment into our region.
“In the last 18 months McLaren Automotive have opened a £50m innovation and production facility, Boeing launched their only manufacturing facility in Europe and a new UK Atomic Energy Authority facility is in development that will explore how to commercialise nuclear fusion and develop new manufacturing techniques.
“In the last month we have unlocked the Sheffield City Region Devolution Deal, and through the Local Enterprise Partnership an ambitious and bold new Strategic Economic Plan is being developed.
“This progress signals not only our ambition but our ability, working with the private sector to get things done. It’s now time for Government to back us with sustained investment that will create improved opportunities for our communities and businesses, and make our region an even better place in which to live, work and invest.”
Photo credit: Sheffield City Region
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