The leader of Hull City Council has called for ‘real action’ following the government’s Spending Review delivered earlier this week.
On Wednesday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, delivered the government’s eagerly-awaited Spending Review to Parliament. Despite the Government committing to funding boosts for the NHS, social housing, policing, and more, the Spending Review has left some in our region underwhelmed.
Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell, described the announcements as “very disappointing” and called for Ms Reeves and the Government to match the ambitions of the region.
The leader of Hull City Council, Cllr Mike Ross, has responded to the Spending Review by saying: “Hull has been hit badly by previous governments’ decisions and too often seen promises made that have not been kept.
“We need this Government to act if it’s serious about creating a level playing field. We have the potential to deliver significantly increased productivity and economic growth. That is why we need a fair, long-term settlement from Government through the Local Growth Fund, that puts this region on a par with other city regions and Mayoral Combined Authorities across the Midlands and the North.
“While we welcome the support for the Humber Viking Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) scheme, if we’re going to fully leverage our strengths and build the skilled workforce, affordable housing and opportunities that will help us thrive, the Government needs to back its words up with real action for Hull.”
Over the past year, Cllr Ross, alongside Cllr Anne Handley – his counterpart at East Riding of Yorkshire Council – has been urging the Government to deliver on transport funding that the previous Conservative Government allocated to the area following the cancellation of the Northern Leg of HS2.
Following the Spending Review, the Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority is expected to receive a multi-million pound four-year transport funding package. This is, however, not expected to be at the same level as the allocations given to other, longer established, Combined Authorities that were mentioned in Ms Reeves’ £15 billion transport funding announcement earlier this month.
Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Hull with our free newsletter