Conservative candidate for Mayor of the East Midlands, Ben Bradley, welcomes the Prime Minister’s announcement of a £1.5 billion Regional Sustainable Transport Settlement for the new East Midlands Combined Authority.
The investment, announced by Rishi Sunak at the Conservative Party Conference, is the single biggest regional transport settlement ever secured and will be game-changing for the region.
This new short-term funding comes additionally to the £1.14 billion already promised to the Combined Authority after the election of the first Mayor in May 2024.
Mr Bradley says that this funding, worth an average of almost £1,000 per person, will be used to make life better for the 2.2 million people across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire “connecting people across our region to education opportunities and the high-skilled jobs being created over the coming years”.
This huge investment will guarantee that our first ever Mayor will be able to introduce London-style “tap-on, tap-off” smart ticketing across the two counties, improving bus and train journey times and reducing the cost of fares for residents.
Mr. Bradley has confirmed that as Mayor he would also use this additional transport funding to offer free travel for work and education “to all young people across our region” giving people more opportunities and greater freedom to live and work all across the region.
As well as this record investment announced today for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, the PM also committed further funding to the Midlands as a whole. With £2.2 billion to repair potholes, over £300 million to improve bus services, and an extension to the £2 single bus fare until the end of 2024.
Commenting, Ben Bradley stated:
“The Prime Minister has just given our region the money to fund a huge amount of transport improvements, to be managed by a new Regional Mayor for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, to be elected next May. This is the biggest pot of local transport funding ever for any region, it’s £1.5 billion of investment, an average investment of almost £1,000 per person.’’
“It could help fund all sorts of local projects, from the Maid Marian line in North Notts, to the A50/500 corridor in South Derbyshire, from the Ashbourne bypass to extending the tram. I hope to improve bus services and integrate our transport network across the two counties, connecting people across our region to education opportunities and the high-skilled jobs being created over the coming years. We’ll ensure that every community has access to public transport, and we’ll plug the gaps that currently leave people isolated.’’
“With this funding confirmed, I can now be absolutely clear and say with certainty that if elected as that Mayor, I will work to roll out 'smart' and integrated ticketing across our whole public transport system, and I will offer free travel for work and education to all young people across our region. Whether it’s in the north of our counties where children might travel across county borders for college and are disadvantaged by not being able to access the same concessionary fares, or whether it’s families paying out £100s a year for the school bus, no child should be barred from accessing the right course in the right place, or be prevented from getting that first job, because of their circumstances or family finances.’’
‘‘That’s why I’ll ensure that every child can get to full time education for free, or to access that first job and not face barriers to accessing work, on our local bus and rail network. Young people living in many of our communities have their opportunities limited because they can’t afford that first car or a scooter that gives them the freedom to get out of their own estate and open up new opportunities. I’ll put an end to that, and level the playing field. ’’
Mansfield 103.2 Afternoon News - 221124
