A commitment in this week’s Budget which is set to see the rail line between York and Church Fenton electrified by next year has been welcomed.
The Budget unveiled by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday, October 30 pledged to deliver electrification as part of the wider Transpennine Route Upgrade between York and Manchester.
York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith said the upgrade was vital to ensuring people could move across the north for work and leisure.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said it would put an end to northern cities being held back by outdated, inefficient and unreliable rail links.
It comes as the chancellor made the commitment to fund the electrification of services between York and Church Fenton as part of wider plans to support economic growth in the north.
Funding for the project was put under review ahead of the Budget, according to reports in the Financial Times.
The £11.5 billion project along the 72-mile rail route forms part of a more than £15 billion investment into Manchester-Leeds-York rail links.
The announcement in the Budget means the electrification between York and Church Fenton will be completed by next year as part of a rolling programme.
Accessibility upgrades are also set for Ulleskelf Station and further along the route at Cross Gates, Garforth, East Garforth and Micklefield near Leeds.
Labour’s York and North Yorkshire Mayor Mr Skaith said he was pleased to see confirmation of funding for the project in the Budget.
Labour minister Ms Haigh said she would not let northern cities be held back by poor rail links.
The transport secretary said: “That’s why we are delivering the Transpennine Route Upgrade, which will unlock faster, more reliable, and more frequent journeys for passengers across the north.”
The welcoming of the commitment follows a mixed reception of the Budget more generally from York politicians.
Mr Skaith and Labour York Central MP Rachael Maskell welcomed measures which they said would put more money into the pockets of working people and secure local growth and investment.
But Cllr Chris Steward, York Council’s Conservative group leader, said the Budget had exposed Labour’s growth rhetoric as vacuous and their plans were rooted in hope rather than reality.
He added National Insurance, capital gains and other tax hikes would harm economic growth.
The Conservative said: “The budget is a terrible one for virtually all, by hiking taxes on business growth will suffer.
“At the General Election we said Labour would be hiking taxes and they denied it but only ruled out a few, they are now clearly going back on even some of those.
“Ultimately whether people run a small business, want to pass assets to their children, or just go on holiday this is a budget that will cost virtually everyone a lot more.”
Cllr Nigel Ayre, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on the council, said they supported increasing the minimum wage, increasing investment and more funding for schools and the environment.
But he added other aspects of the Budget including no moves to address funding for councils which left York among the lowest-funded were disappointing.
The Liberal Democrat said: “As the demand for and the cost of adult social care continues to rise, this is not a sustainable situation.
“This budget will raise £25 billion more from increasing National Insurance employer contributions, which will hit many working people who run small businesses in York.
“We also would have liked to have seen greater investment to fixing primary care, residents can’t get a GP appointment and dentists are leaving the NHS at astonishing rates.”
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