TUC and Northern Powerhouse Partnership call for new “cross-party consensus” on infrastructure investment

• Call comes after crunch rail summit with regional and industry leaders in Manchester today
• TUC and NPP warn that “if we are serious about reducing regional inequalities, then we must remove barriers to infrastructure investment”  
• “Vital upgrades should not be blown off course by short-term political decisions”, TUC and NPP say in joint statement  

The TUC and Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) have today (Tuesday) called for a new “cross-party consensus” on investment in essential infrastructure.

The call follows a crunch meeting of regional leaders, unions and industry heads in Manchester to discuss the future of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

In a joint statement issued after the summit, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak and NPP Chief Executive Henri Murison say immediate action is needed to upgrade rail networks in the region.

“Northern Powerhouse Rail must be delivered in full and on an accelerated timetable.  

“This means the completion of upgrades which can be delivered most quickly.  

“However, we also need to build more resilience and capacity into the rail network through new lines including key sections betweenManchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport, Liverpool and West Yorkshire, Huddersfield and Bradford and the Leamside Line.” 

Highlighting the need for a new cross-party consensus on infrastructure investment, Nowak and Murison say:

“If we are serious about reducing regional inequalities, then we must remove barriers to infrastructure investment.   

“Fiscal rules should be reformed to take more account of long-term economic development and there should be a wider range of funding options to get projects off the ground.  

“Low productivity will drive up debt over coming decades. Only by investing in what is essential for our country can we avoid this spiralling to be worse, and worse.    

“We need a cross-party consensus that investing in infrastructure is essential for our economy and the country. It is vital for driving growth and productivity, and for delivering better jobs and wages in every corner of the UK.”  

Calling for a long-term and collaborative approach to delivering key projects, Nowak and Murison say:

“We cannot afford to be held back. Vital upgrades should not be blown off course by short-term political decisions.   

“It is normal in other leading economies for unions, government, employers, and other important stakeholders to sit down together regularly and plan 20-30 years ahead.  

“We need the same collaborative approach to industrial strategy here. We owe it to future generations to make the right, long-term decisions now.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The full statement reads: 

It was great to bring together unions, industry experts and regional leaders to discuss the future of rail and wider infrastructure in the North.  

Today’s summit was constructive and demonstrated a shared commitment and appetite for economic development in the region and across the UK.   

The TUC and Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) are now calling for the following urgent actions.  

Firstly, Northern Powerhouse Rail must be delivered in full and on an accelerated timetable.   

This means the completion of upgrades which can be delivered most quickly: 

• improvements to East Coast mainline from York to Newcastle  
• development of the new Bradford station 
• the electrification of the line from Hull to Selby  

However, we also need to build more resilience and capacity into the rail network through new lines including key sections between: 

• Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport 
• Liverpool and West Yorkshire 
• Huddersfield and Bradford 
• The Leamside Line  

Secondly, there must be no fire-sale of HS2 land. This would be massive loss for taxpayers. And make it much harder to deliver high-speed rail links in the future, that are essential for the economy of northern and midlands cities and towns.  

Thirdly, there should be a strengthening of the National Infrastructure Commission. Unions, regional leaders, industry heads and bodies like the NPP should all have guaranteed stakeholder roles and the National Infrastructure Commission should have more powers and independence, as well as its proposals considered for their impact long term on national debt by the Office for Budget Responsibility.  

But we must look beyond the immediate term.  

If we are serious about reducing regional inequalities, then we must remove barriers to infrastructure investment.  

Fiscal rules should be reformed to take more account of long-term economic development and there should be a wider range of funding options to get projects off the ground. Low productivity will drive up debt over coming decades, only by investing in what is essential for our country can we avoid this spiralling to be worse, and worse.    

We need a cross-party consensus that investing in infrastructure is essential for our economy and the country. It is vital for driving growth and productivity, and for delivering better jobs and wages in every corner of the UK.   

We cannot afford to be held back. Vital upgrades should not be blown off course by short-term political decisions.   

It is normal in other leading economies for unions, government, employers, and other important stakeholders to sit down together regularly and plan 20-30 years ahead.  

We need the same collaborative approach to industrial strategy here. We owe it to future generations to make the right, long-term decisions now. 

Paul Nowak – General Secretary, TUC

Henri Murison – Chief Executive, NPP 

The summit – organised by Northern Powerhouse Partnership and the TUC – brought together a range of stakeholders to discuss Northern Powerhouse Rail and how to deliver other large-scale infrastructure projects.

Those in attendance included: 

Metro Mayors – Andy Burnham (Greater Manchester), Steve Rotherham (Liverpool Combined Authority)

Industry heads – Alan Foster (HS2), Andy Brown (Manchester Airports Group), Andy Bagnall (Rail Partners), Doug McIlroy (Hitachi), Henri Murison (Northern Powerhouse), James Richardson (Skanska), Martin Tugwell (Transport for the North), Neale Coleman (National Infrastructure Commission), Neil Johnson (Balfour Beatty Vicci) 

Union leaders – Eddie Dempsey (RMT), Gary Smith (GMB), Mick Whelan (ASLEF), Paul Nowak (TUC), Maryam Eslamdoust(TSSA), Steve Turner (Unite) 

Council leaders – Bev Craig (Manchester), Craig Browne (Cheshire East), Helen Hayden (Leeds)

-About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living. 

-About Northern Powerhouse: The Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) was launched in September 2016 as the leading voice of business and civic leaders across the North. We are chaired by economist and former Treasury minister Lord Jim O’Neill.