Yorkshire authorities selected to bid for funding from national £840m transport pot

Local authorities across Yorkshire have been selected to bid for a share of an £840m fund to upgrade public transport links over the next four years, the Prime Minister has announced.
Sheffield City Region and West Yorkshire Combined Authority – representing communities including Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield and York – will receive £50,000 each to develop bids over the next year. Ten authorities nationwide were selected to bid for the package of support from the Transforming Cities Fund. The amount of funding the authorities will receive has yet to be decided.
Sheffield City Region’s Transforming Cities Fund bid focused on three “corridors”. These areas are the River Don corridor between Sheffield city centre and the Unity site north of Doncaster; the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID) on the border of Sheffield and Rotherham, and the Dearne Valley Corridor, spanning Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster and including key employment sites such as the Barnsley Digital Campus and M1 Junction 36.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s submission set out plans to improve public transport along four key routes in the Leeds City Region and upgrade connections to eight rail stations.

 The four key routes that are the focus of the submission were: Leeds – Bradford – Halifax (Calder Valley); Bradford to Dewsbury through North Kirklees; Wakefield/Barnsley – Leeds; Five Towns – Leeds.

The eight stations were: Leeds Station Gateway; Bradford Interchange and Bradford Forster Square; Halifax; Harrogate; Huddersfield; Selby; York.

They will work closely alongside government to co-develop proposals to overhaul transport infrastructure in their communities, which could include projects such as developing smart technology to integrate bus, rail and cycling information, or investing in key corridors between communities where there is significant employment growth.
£60 million from the fund will be made available over the next year to share across transport schemes aimed at tackling head on some of the challenges faced by communities, while the ten regions on the shortlist finalise their full proposals.
Prime Minister Theresa May said: “Right at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse, Yorkshire’s cities are renowned across the country for their industry and innovation. And we’re continuing to back communities across Yorkshire to maximise their potential for growth, with over £1 billion committed to the Great North Rail project and £106 million spent on improvements to the M1 around Sheffield.
“Alongside £13 billion committed to transport across the north of England, the Transforming Cities Fund will continue to empower our cities to put in place the infrastructure they need to thrive and make sure everyone has access to opportunities, regardless of where they live.”
Over the next four years, the new allocation of funding will be used to improve links between city centres and suburbs in further city regions, increasing access to jobs and helping ensure that businesses have the infrastructure they need to thrive.

Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said: “I welcome this announcement from the Government, which reflects the strength of our bid to the Transforming Cities Fund.

“It is critical that we improve the transport system in our region, to create better access to major employment sites, reduce congestion and better integrate different modes of transport.

“Our proposal to develop a Global Innovation Corridor which connects residents and businesses to our internationally-significant assets will help to achieve that, and grow our economy.

“I now look forward to working with the Department for Transport as we develop our detailed plans.”

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Bradford Council, said: “We have a strong track record of delivery through our £1bn West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund and I am pleased the Government has recognised we could do even more with the right support.

“Our bid focused on improving access to jobs, services and education for those communities who need it most and I hope the Government will work with us at pace to agree detailed plans.”

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