Yorkshire to get share of flood defence funding and £30m for nuclear manufacturing

THE go-ahead for flood defence projects in Yorkshire was the highlight of a package of measures for the region in the Budget.

Mr Osborne announced plans to invest £130m to repair roads and bridges in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Durham, as well as more than £150m which has been earmarked for flood defences in Leeds, Calder Valley and York.

It is also allocating £30m for a “21st century” nuclear manufacturing programme, creating opportunities for the Nuclear AMRC in Rotherham and Manchester’s Sir Henry Royce Institute.

A proposed extension of Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone was announced, subject to local agreement, aiming to support advanced manufacturing in the region. It will also “benefit” from a science and innovation audit.

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£20m per year will be committed to school improvement in the North, with Bradford headteacher Sir Nick Weller, of Dixons Trinity Academy, commissioned to complete an in-depth report into improving schools in the North of England.

In cultural measures, the Government has committed a further £13m to Hull’s Capital of Culture, and £1m to support S1 Artspace in Sheffield to create an arts complex.

Funding for Northern Powerhouse projects was also boosted by the green light for £60m for the HS3 Leeds to Manchester route, as Mr Osborne committed the funds to a raft of projects recommended by the Lord Adonis-led National Infrastructure Commission (NIC).

It was announced earlier this week that £300m in total would go towards this, as well as a trans-Pennine route between Sheffield and Manchester and upgrades to the M62 across the North.

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