Press Story

The new wave of Metro Mayors - set to sweep major English cities from next year - should vow that nobody who has a job within their city region will have to commute by bus for more than an hour, according to a report published today by IPPR North.

The leading thinktank's report, Connecting Lines, also calls for faster and more convenient transport to vital public services: currently almost two-thirds of households are more than 30 minutes away from a hospital.

From 2017, voters in major cities and surrounding areas, including Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Sheffield, the West Midlands and the North East, will head to the polls to elect new Metro Mayors – with sweeping London-style transport powers.

When it comes to transport, low investment and a ‘London-knows-best’ attitude have left cities outside the capital lagging behind their international equivalents, the report warns.

For instance:

in Greater Manchester it takes more than two hours to travel by bus from the centre of Bolton, Rochdale or Bury to Manchester airport – where a large number of jobs are set to be created
it takes nearly 90 minutes to travel between Middlesbrough and Newcastle - a distance no further than between Reading or Guildford and central London which takes just 57 minutes.

Major cities and their surrounding towns are losing out because of the lack of a single person, like the London Mayor, who can sort out these problems, the report concludes.

The report will be launched on Thursday 10 March from 1pm at Manchester Central Library – with interim mayor of Greater Manchester Tony Lloyd, London's deputy mayor for transport Isabel Dedring, and Trafford council leader Sean Anstee, set to outline their ideas on the country’s devolution revolution.

IPPR North's report also says central government should enable Metro Mayors to:

invest in their transport network by drawing on new resources, such as an expanded business rate premium, workplace parking levies, road user charging and a broad range of other revenue raising powers
integrate the transport services of public, private and community transport providers, starting with the re-regulation of buses but ultimately taking a ‘Total Transport approach’
lead their city-region, by using new democratic structures to govern inclusively, balancing strong executive power with the representation of all communities, and robust checks and balances.

Report author Luke Raikes, research fellow at IPPR North, said:

“The ‘Northern Powerhouse’ must be built on solid foundations – and getting people into decent jobs while leading healthier, more sustainable lives is essential. Metro Mayors will soon be able to make a big difference with their new transport powers.

“From next year, a new wave of these Metro Mayors will sweep England's cities – with London-style powers to invest fresh billions and make daily commutes quicker, cheaper and greener.

“In the long-term, this could underpin stronger, more inclusive economic growth and prosperity for our major cities and the wider UK economy.

“How they do this is up to them – but they have a range of options to choose from, and trade offs to make based on the local circumstances.

“But over a longer period, the Government must go further, and make sure Metro Mayors have both the powers and the funding they need to end decades of under-investment in cities outside of London – and grant more freedoms as time goes on.”

ENDS

Contact:

Ash Singleton, IPPR North - a.singleton@ippr.org, 0161 457 0536 or 07887 422 789

Notes to editors:

Embargoed copies of the report are available from the press office and the report will be online from 6am on Thursday 10 March here: http://www.ippr.org/publications/connecting-lines-how-devolving-transport-policy-can-transform-our-cities

Luke Raikes, report author, is available for interviews. Please contact Ash Singleton on a.singleton@ippr.org or 0161 457 0536 to arrange.

Full details of the launch event are available here. Media are encouraged to attend but registration is requested.

Metro Mayors with London-style transport powers will be created in major cities and urban areas from 2017, including:

Greater Manchester
Liverpool City Region
the North East of England
Sheffield
the Tees Valley
the West Midlands.

The draft ‘North Midlands’ deal also includes provision for an elected mayor. The Government expects the first set of elections to take place in 2017.