News
Press Release: nearly half of UK transport investment spent in London & South East
A new analysis of official government figures reveals the startling disparity between transport funding in London and the South East compared to the other English regions, with the capital city and surrounding counties receiving nearly half of all government investment in transport.
The figures, taken from the annual Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses published by HM Treasury, show London and the South East received on average 48 per cent of the total transport spend for the years for which figures are available (2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10). In contrast, the North East received 3 per cent; the North West 11 per cent; Yorkshire and Humberside 7 per cent; the East Midlands 6 per cent; the West Midlands 8 per cent; the East of England 10 per cent and the South West 7 per cent.
When broken down in terms of spending per head, taking into account the large population in London and the South East, the inequality between regions remains. For the years available (2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10) London and the South East received an average of £915 per person compared to £229 for the North East; £287 for the North West; £239 for Yorkshire and Humberside; £225 for the East Midlands; £256 for the West Midlands; £238 for the East of England; £228 for the South West and an average for England of £309.
Commenting, Director of the Campaign for High Speed Rail David Begg said:
“These new figures demonstrate once and for all the dire need to re-balance investment in essential transport infrastructure across the UK. For too long [insert name of region] has suffered as governments have had their head turned by London and the South East. This is a compelling reason for investment in high speed rail, to boost jobs, attract economic investment and rebalance the economy of the country to benefit communities and families for generations to come.
“I hope this is the last we will hear from those who say we don’t need HS2, it is simply wrong for one region to receive nearly 50 per cent of all the money spent. Taxpayers in [insert region] deserve a fair deal starting with HS2.”
The campaign’s findings have already been covered in the Yorkshire Post, the Liverpool Daily Post and the Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
Notes to editors:
Tables taken from the 2010 Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses are below:
| A. Identifiable public sector capital spend on transport by region (£million) | ||||||
| £million | ||||||
| 2005-06 | Regional % | 2008-09 | Regional % | 2009-10 | Regional % | |
| NE | 250 | 4% | 320 | 3% | 315 | 3% |
| NW | 768 | 11% | 1022 | 11% | 1061 | 11% |
| Y&H | 455 | 7% | 665 | 7% | 703 | 7% |
| EM | 378 | 5% | 565 | 6% | 649 | 7% |
| WM | 559 | 8% | 775 | 8% | 790 | 8% |
| East | 636 | 9% | 958 | 10% | 1043 | 11% |
| London | 2310 | 33% | 2989 | 31% | 2856 | 29% |
| SE | 1130 | 16% | 1698 | 18% | 1614 | 17% |
| SW | 485 | 7% | 696 | 7% | 695 | 7% |
| England Total | 6971 | 9688 | 9726 | |||
Therefore, London and the SE receive in total nearly half of all govt capital investment in transport in England, and have consistently always done so.
Source: Table 9.8e of HMT’s PESA 2010
| B. Identifiable public sector spend (revenue and capital) on transport by region £ per head | ||||||
| £ per head | ||||||
| 2005-06 | % of average England £ per head | 2008-09 | % of average England £ per head | 2009-10 | % of average England £ per head | |
| NE | 194 | 72% | 234 | 75% | 261 | 76% |
| NW | 248 | 92% | 287 | 91% | 326 | 94% |
| Y&H | 189 | 70% | 248 | 79% | 281 | 81% |
| EM | 199 | 74% | 222 | 71% | 256 | 74% |
| WM | 226 | 84% | 259 | 82% | 283 | 82% |
| East | 192 | 71% | 245 | 78% | 277 | 80% |
| London | 590 | 219% | 641 | 204% | 681 | 197% |
| SE | 233 | 86% | 286 | 91% | 314 | 91% |
| SW | 200 | 74% | 237 | 75% | 248 | 72% |
| England Total | 270 | 100% | 314 | 100% | 345 | 100% |
Therefore, London and the South East not only receive the largest amount of transport funding but disproportionately so, London in particular receiving much more per head than any other region. The general argument for London and the South East being favoured is that they are the economic engine of the whole country and the national centre, not just a region e.g. 66% of national rail journeys in the UK start in London and the South East.
The only region to consistently get near the levels of funding per head of London and the SE is the NW.
Source: Tables 9.15 and 9.16 of HMT’s PESA 2010