Speaking in Leeds, the Prime Minister and Chancellor today announced details of their long-term economic plan for Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.
The announcements made by David Cameron and George Osborne included plans to:
- Increase the size of the Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire economy by an extra £13 billion in real terms by 2030, equivalent to over £2,000 per person – by increasing the long term growth rate of Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire to at least the long term growth rate of the whole of the UK.
- Raise the employment rate so that there are over 100,000 more people in employment here during the next Parliament, by backing key business strengths like advanced manufacturing, the creative industries, food and tech start-ups.
- Deliver at least £6.4 billion of investment in transport in Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire – including the electrification of existing rail lines, new and faster trains, and a major upgrade to key road routes like the M62. This is on top of the committed £42.6 billion investment in new high speed connections from the north of England to the south and the potential for investment in high speed connections east to west across the north of England.
- Back the core strengths of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire’s economy with major new investments in scientific excellence, and a particular focus on renewable energy on the Humber, food production in North Yorkshire, advanced manufacturing in South Yorkshire, finance and tech in West Yorkshire, and an assurance that local people can get the high end skills they need to secure great careers.
- Raise the quality of life in Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire by supporting its unique culture and sporting strengths, cementing its position as the UK home of road cycling, backing its great museums, whilst also building up to 20,000 new homes and improving education outcomes in the region's schools, so over 95,000 more pupils attend outstanding schools.
- Devolve greater powers the great cities and counties of Yorkshire - by continuing work on the recent Sheffield City Region devolution agreement, and working towards a devolution deal for West Yorkshire too.
Cleethorpes MP, Martin Vickers, welcomed the speech today, commenting:
“The important thing was that this showed the Government’s commitment to northern Lincolnshire in particular, and the wider Humber area more generally."
“They recognised the importance to the national economy and made very clear that we were very much part of the Government’s long-term economic plan."
“I think what was announced makes an important contribution to the building of the local economy, with an emphasis on the green energy estuary.”