Is Boris 'Levelling Up?'

[Anna B 1,414]

5 hours ago, altus said:

It's way more nuanced than just housing prices. It's easier to travel around (due to higher infrastructure spending and public transport availability and subsidies), more per head funding for cultural things like the arts, etc. When it comes to retire, they get to sell their expensive houses in the SE and outbid the locals for desirable properties in the regions.

I agree. But more than that, if we want the North to level up with the South East, we need as much investment, if not more, to encourage business to come up here. At the moment it takes upwards of 14 hours by train to travel East to West, coast to coast from Hull to Liverpool.

 

Hull, one of the main Northern ports with good access to Rotterdam and Europe, doesn't even have a motorway running from it, much less a joined up cross rail link. The M62 needs extending into the port for a start, and it should be as important a dock as Tilbury and the London Gateway is to the South. 

We also need a major state of the art airport this side of the Penines, Doncaster being the obvious choice with it's exceptionally long runways giving it access to all the Global routes. 

 

Without Northern Transport links, London is going to collapse under it's own success. We can already see the effect that has had on house prices and congestion, so let's share it out a bit.

Now we're no longer in the EU, the world is our oyster and we should be forging greater links with the Scandinavian countries and Northern Europe, and exploiting our Commonwealth links to the full instead of hanging onto America's coat tails. A Northern integrated transport hub is therefore essential, before it's too late.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Anna B

[altus 540]

1 hour ago, West 77 said:

I've already explained the increased infrastructure such as the link from HS2 to the ECML makes it easier to get to Nottingham which has an excellent train service to Sheffield. It's not just about travelling between London and Sheffield.

I never said it was just about travelling between London and Sheffield.

 

You said in post 10:

Quote

You're correct Nottingham is not Sheffield but the new infrastructure will make it easier for people to get to Sheffield.

How will the new infrastructure will make it easier for people to get to Sheffield? Give an example of a journey to Sheffield it will aid.

 

Quote

You need to think more outside of the box, be positive and have a more half glass full mentality.

My 'glass' was more than half full after the original northern powerhouse rail announcement. Then someone in the government came along and emptied it.

[HeHasRisen 3,404]

7 hours ago, Anna B said:

At the moment it takes upwards of 14 hours by train to travel East to West, coast to coast from Hull to Liverpool.

 

 

I beg your pardon?!

 

It takes around three!

[alchresearch 214]

14 hours ago, El Cid said:

I know the government promised to level up, but do they have a better life in the South?

 

I'd say not:
 

Caravan up for rent in London for £790 a month - but it's in someone's garden

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/caravan-up-rent-london-790-27050836

 

I pay less than that for a 4 bedroom house less than 100 yards from the beach.

 

 

8 hours ago, Anna B said:

At the moment it takes upwards of 14 hours by train to travel East to West, coast to coast from Hull to Liverpool.

 

 

According to Trainline this morning:

 

2 hours 54 mins, and 35 mins of that is waiting for connecting trains

10:08 Hull

15 min wait
11:24 Huddersfield
20 min wait

13:02 Liverpool Lime Street

Edited May 25, 2022 by alchresearch

[HeHasRisen 3,404]

Nice pub at Huddersfield station to wait at, too.

[Anna B 1,414]

1 hour ago, alchresearch said:

I'd say not:
 

Caravan up for rent in London for £790 a month - but it's in someone's garden

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/caravan-up-rent-london-790-27050836

 

I pay less than that for a 4 bedroom house less than 100 yards from the beach.

 

 

According to Trainline this morning:

 

2 hours 54 mins, and 35 mins of that is waiting for connecting trains

10:08 Hull

15 min wait
11:24 Huddersfield
20 min wait

13:02 Liverpool Lime Street

I'm merely  quoting an investigative reporter who did the journey for a tv documentary (can't remember whether it was panorama or this week, something like that,) who was looking at the need for a Northern cross rail in a programme about levelling up.

The fact remains the North isn't getting the help it needs, and the South East is like another country.

Unfortunately that's where all the decisions are made, so IMO they are out of touch and biased towards their own backyard. 

[alchresearch 214]

Is it just The North though?  I've seen people in the SW say the same thing.

 

London has, is and always will get the biggest slice of the pie until we move government out of there and in a more central location. There's some interesting figures here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/56238260

 

 

The article also says

 

"It found that 28 councils had their bids rejected. This included 18 areas that were on the government's top priority list, including Knowsley and Blackpool."

 

It would be interesting to know what those bids included. 

 

As for levelling up projects, here's a nice list of 107 so far. It does say "improves everyday life across the UK" though - not just the north.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-fund-first-round-successful-bidders

 

Gateway to Sheffield     £20,000,000.00  Attercliffe Regeneration     £17,041,850.00

 

The question shouldn't be "Is Boris Levelling up?" but "Is your local council making the effort to apply or spending it wisely?"

Edited May 25, 2022 by alchresearch

[ECCOnoob 1,043]

47 minutes ago, alchresearch said:

As for levelling up projects, here's a nice list of 107 so far. It does say "improves everyday life across the UK" though - not just the north.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-fund-first-round-successful-bidders

 

Gateway to Sheffield     £20,000,000.00  Attercliffe Regeneration     £17,041,850.00

 

The question shouldn't be "Is Boris Levelling up?" but "Is your local council making the effort to apply or spending it wisely?"

Now that I would agree with. Perhaps it's about time the spotlight got shone a little bit more locally to find out exactly what our leaders are doing and where the money is going.

 

Assuming those figures are extracted from the source list you quote, That's 37 million of money to be used wisely.  The city could have been doing awful lot with that.  Be very interested to see how it breaks down and how much was being frittered away on councillor vanity projects and failed showboating.

 

Constantly whining and criticising about central government is all well and good but at some point someone's going to turn around and ask quite bluntly....  "what exactly have you been doing".  

Edited May 25, 2022 by ECCOnoob

[Anna B 1,414]

Nice bit of research Alchresearch,

and

For once we agree ECCOnoob.

 

Incidently there's a nice opportunity coming up in the near future to get the government  out of London and into the provinces, when the Houses of Parliament close down for a full restoration and refurbishment. Ideally I'd like to see the place turned into a museum, and a proper place of work built for the Mps with all mod cons and space to accommodate a modern working government.  

Edited May 25, 2022 by Anna B