Northern Powerhouse: 'Scaling back would be a big mistake' says Thirsk and Malton MP
Kevin Hollinrake's concerned that rail upgrade plans for the North could be watered down
Last updated 15th Nov 2021
The MP for Thirsk, Malton and Filey says he is concerned that rail upgrade plans for the North of England could be watered down.
It is as there are reports the Government is looking to scale back ambitions for the Northern Powerhouse Project.
The proposals would see the upgrading of existing railways rather than building new ones across Yorkshire.
Kevin Hollinrake said:
"We don't know whether it is or not but my concern is I've read the reports like everybody else has and of course we should wait for the details before we're too critical. Nevertheless, I think it's important to put our views on record that a scaling back of plans to invest across the North would be a big mistake.
"This isn't about politics, it's about economics. There's investment where if it's well spent that produces a long term return which is good for individual prosperity, so people's jobs and people's businesses, so that's what I'm worried about, we scale back those plans which doesn't then produce the economic benefits that we had in mind.
"We all rely on connectivity to get to different workplaces. It doesn't always have to be about commuting to work, it's just important that people can get around to travel to work appointments or for the people in the cities to travel to us, and there's a big deterrent therefore if investment doesn't happen.
"I don't make the decisions but I can use my voice. I can speak out as I have done many times in favour of investment. It isn't just this Government, Governments for decades, everyone in living memory has come along and said 'we're going to level up', they've over-promised, they've looked at the price tag and then underperformed, they've thought 'my God, it's too expensive'. We've got to actually grasp the nettle this time and do it.
"If we scale back, and we don't know if that's going to happen yet, then that's a missed opportunity. It's not about politics, it's about economics. It's not about me, it's about our constituencies in the North, that's what it's about and now is a critical moment in time. If we step back from it now, that will have a long term impact and it'll just be more expensive in the future. We'll need to do it sooner or later."