UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Northern/Central England

  • Grant Shapps – 2022 Statement on the Transport at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

    Grant Shapps – 2022 Statement on the Transport at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

    The statement made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 17 January 2022.

    The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place from 28 July to 8 August 2022 and will be the biggest sporting event ever held in the city featuring thousands of world-class athletes and over a million spectators.

    With an estimated global television audience of 1.5 billion people, the Games will showcase Birmingham, the West Midlands and the entire country as an amazing place to live, work, study, visit and do business.

    We know that putting in place effective transport provision is a crucial part of any major sporting event and requires detailed planning and coordination. A well understood and supported Transport Plan is therefore essential.

    On 23 October 2020, in line with s25(1) of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Act 2020, I directed the West Midlands Combined Authority to prepare a Transport Plan for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

    Today I am pleased to inform the House that the West Midlands Combined Authority Board has approved the final Games Transport Plan.

    The Transport Plan has been produced in close collaboration with Birmingham City Council and the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee. It sets out a strategic approach to planning and coordination of transport to support the Games covering the transportation of spectators, athletes and the Games family, whilst at the same time ensuring that any disruption to transport users and residents is kept to a minimum.

    The Transport Plan is also the result of consultation with key stakeholders, including local authorities, police forces, transport operators, and the Department for Transport, as well as wider public engagement.

    The Transport Plan presents 5 principles that have guided decision-making throughout the stages of strategic planning, and which underpin the objectives for transport during the Games.

    These principles are:

    clean and green: a public transport Games
    safe, secure, reliable and efficient transport
    minimising disruption
    long-term benefits
    access for all

    I am placing a copy of the Games Transport Plan in the libraries of both Houses

  • Wendy Morton – 2022 Comments on Rail Journeys from Leeds

    Wendy Morton – 2022 Comments on Rail Journeys from Leeds

    The comments made by Wendy Morton, the Rail Minister, on 4 January 2022.

    Leeds station is a major hub right at the heart of the North, not only a gateway to one of the UK’s most vibrant and lively cities but a vital transport link enabling people from all over the country to travel for work, pleasure and connect with friends and family.

    These upgrades are a huge milestone making these journeys even easier, providing passengers with more seats, more services and more punctual journeys all while building upon our unprecedented Integrated Rail Plan – delivering a modern, fully connected transport hub fit for the future quicker than under previous plans.

  • Grant Shapps – 2021 Comments on Integrated Rail Plan

    Grant Shapps – 2021 Comments on Integrated Rail Plan

    The comments made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 21 December 2021.

    Last month, I promised we would get on with delivering the Integrated Rail Plan by Christmas and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

    Today marks the beginning of a transformation of rail journeys for the Midlands and the North, where we will slash journey times and build better connections between towns, cities and everywhere in between.

    Under our plans, people won’t have to wait 2 decades for better services. This unprecedented investment will deliver better railways sooner.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2021 Statement on Cutting Transport for the North Responsibilities

    Andrew Stephenson – 2021 Statement on Cutting Transport for the North Responsibilities

    The statement made by Andrew Stephenson, the Minister of State at the Department for Transport, in the House of Commons on 24 November 2021.

    Transport for the North is a sub-national transport body. Its statutory role, as set out in legislation, is to provide a strategic transport plan for the region and to provide advice to the Secretary of State.

    Since 2016, in addition to these statutory responsibilities, Transport for the North has co-cliented the development of Northern Powerhouse Rail alongside the Department for Transport. As this important programme moves into its next, more complex, delivery stage, it is right that we have a single, clear line of accountability to the Secretary of State. This has been an important lesson learned from the delivery of other major infrastructure projects. Therefore, Transport for the North will transition from co-client to co-sponsor, continuing to provide statutory advice and to input on the strategic direction of the programme. The details of this arrangement are currently being worked out between my Department and Transport for the North.

    Transport for the North’s advice was carefully considered, alongside a range of other evidence, when developing the integrated rail plan. Any changes to Northern Powerhouse Rail’s delivery does not impact Transport for the North’s statutory function, nor the level of core funding it will receive this financial year to carry out those functions. Nor does it alter the Government’s commitment to levelling up the north or the fact that the integrated rail plan commits £96 billion to improving rail infrastructure across the midlands and the north—the largest single Government investment in the history of British railways.

  • Boris Johnson – 2021 Comments on Scrapping HS2 East Link

    Boris Johnson – 2021 Comments on Scrapping HS2 East Link

    The comments made by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, on 18 November 2021.

    We’re trebling capacity between Liverpool and Manchester. And, of course, there are going to be people who, you know, always want everything at once. And there are lots of people who’ll say, ‘look, what we should do is carve huge new railways through virgin territory, smashing through unspoilt countryside and villages, and do it all at once’.

    The problem with that is those extra high-speed lines take decades and they don’t deliver the commuter benefits that I’m talking about. We will eventually do them.

    ….

    This is the biggest investment in rail, at least for 100 years, and it’s a fantastic thing. What it does is it delivers the types of commuter service that people have been expecting, people have got entitled to, in the south-east of the country. And it will deliver that. And it will deliver better services for places that weren’t on the original plan. Huddersfield, Wakefield, Leicester – all sorts of places will benefit from what we’re doing in ways that hadn’t been foreseen. In virtually every case you will find that journey times are shorter and capacity is going up. This is a much, much better plan.

  • Andy Burnham – 2021 Comments on Government Announcement of Scrapping Rail Projects

    Andy Burnham – 2021 Comments on Government Announcement of Scrapping Rail Projects

    The comments made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 18 November 2021.

    We’ve been given a second class plan here. And that’s been the story of our lives. We’ve always had put up with second best as northern people, ourselves and our residents.

    And I guess what we’re saying is we’re not having it. Because we were told that we were going to be levelled up, and we were told it was going to be different. And different to me means coming to the front of the queue, and not always being told that the money’s run out and has been spent somewhere else. But that, I’m afraid, is implicit in what’s been announced today.

    And this is not politics. This is about the future of the north of England for the next 100 or 200 years. That is the significance of the decisions that are being announced today. And we are not prepared to consign our grandchildren, great grandchildren and beyond to being second class citizens still when it comes to transport in this country.

    We have got to fight for better for them and we have to do it together. We have to stand together as one north. If Bradford loses, Leeds loses out, Liverpool loses out and then we lose out as well.

  • Andy Burnham – 2021 Comments on Olympic Athletes from Manchester

    Andy Burnham – 2021 Comments on Olympic Athletes from Manchester

    The comments made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 9 August 2021.

    All Team GB athletes who competed in Tokyo achieved something historic. They battled through the challenges of the pandemic to participate in an Olympic Games unlike any other.

    Athletes from the North West won more medals than any other region – we are this country’s sporting heartland, and Greater Manchester’s world-class training facilities helped develop the talents of so many of our British superstars.

    Olympians from Greater Manchester were the engine room of Team GB. They gave the performances of a lifetime, built on years of hard work, exceptional commitment, and the unfailing support and belief of families, communities, teachers, and coaches right across our towns and cities. We’ve witnessed legends break records, seen young stars rise to the top, and some of us may even have gained an appreciation for some new Olympic events.

    To all the athletes from our city-region: you did us proud – thank you. You brought it home. Now it’s the turn of our Paralympians to do the same – we’re backing you all the way.

  • Andy Burnham – 2021 Statement on Greater Manchester Police

    Andy Burnham – 2021 Statement on Greater Manchester Police

    The statement made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 29 July 2021.

    We had planned, at today’s meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to hear from our new Chief Constable on his improvement plans for GMP.

    Alongside that, I was planning to provide more detail about how we intend to take the force into a new era of greater openness and strengthened accountability.

    Following the cancellation of today’s meeting, I thought it was important to set out these next steps in a written update.

    The Chief Constable will now attend a meeting of the GMCA on 10 September. On the same day, his forward plan for GMP will be published together with the full analysis provided by PwC.

    We will aim to publish the independent review into Child Sexual Exploitation in Oldham by November or, at the very latest, by the end of the year.

    We will publish the independent review into CSE in Rochdale early in the New Year, with the aim of February.

    We will hold our first Greater Manchester Police Public Accountability Meeting for elected members across GM in Oldham on 26 November. The event will be live-streamed and will follow the meeting of the GMCA. Details of how elected members can apply to attend will be issued shortly. From now on, there will be two public accountability meetings every year.

    These steps towards more transparency and accountability build on the publication earlier this week of the first Achieving Race Equality report, which from now on will be updated quarterly, and the introduction in January of a named and contactable police officer and PCSO for every ward in Greater Manchester.

  • Andy Burnham – 2021 Statement on Housing in Manchester

    Andy Burnham – 2021 Statement on Housing in Manchester

    The statement made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 12 July 2021.

    Greater Manchester is setting out a clear and ambitious vision for new homes, enhanced green spaces and revitalised town centres. Linked to our plans for a zero-carbon future and good jobs and growth, this vision represents a major milestone as our city-region maps out its recovery from the pandemic.

    If we want to build back from the pandemic in a way that brings everyone with us and strikes at the root of inequality, we need a plan that strengthens our economy and our society against future challenges, and puts us in the best position to take advantage of new opportunities.

    We are already using our unique devolved powers and transforming our towns and cities so that they’re fit for the future. Through the pioneering Mayoral Development Corporation in Stockport and Oldham’s Mills Strategy, work is well under way to transform our urban centres by delivering good quality homes, sustainable public transport, and regeneration of the kind that will genuinely ‘level up’ our places.

    By building more low-carbon homes and equipping people with new retrofitting skills, we can also help to meet our goal of carbon neutrality by 2038 and lay the foundations for investment in green industry and innovation.

    We can no longer accept that the car is always king, and Places for Everyone will set out where inclusive growth can take place in areas well connected by an accessible, affordable, high-quality public transport infrastructure – our Bee Network.

    We all share the same priorities: we want to see better homes, better jobs, and better transport for everyone in our city-region. Everything we do is driven by that vision, and whether through Places for Everyone or other projects like the Homelessness Prevention Strategy and our plans for a world-class integrated transport network, we will continue to work together right across Greater Manchester to create a place where we can all succeed.

  • Andy Burnham – 2019 Comments on Rough Sleeping in Manchester

    Andy Burnham – 2019 Comments on Rough Sleeping in Manchester

    The comments made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 9 September 2019.

    In 2017, I made a firm commitment to do everything I could to end the need for rough sleeping by 2020 and it remains my top priority. With this strengthening of A Bed Every Night, I believe we have a plan that honours that pledge.

    People gave us honest feedback on Phase 1 and these new plans seeks to respond to it. It is not perfect but it is getting better all the time. Today Greater Manchester is going up yet another gear in its response to the homelessness crisis.

    I am hugely grateful to all of our partners for answering the call to action and rallying round. I am particularly indebted to our colleagues in the NHS whose greater input into A Bed Every Night will make a huge difference.