Statement in Response to Chancellor HSR Speech

30th June 2014

Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, Chairman, James Newman stated in a response to today's speech from the Chancellor about improving high speed rail in the north; -Sheffield City Region LEP welcomes news that Government is planning to invest further in high speed rail to better connect key northern cities in the east and west of the UK.

-It is however, disappointing that east-west linkages between Greater Manchester, Sheffield City Region and Hull do not form part of these headline proposals, and we will be seeking to explore this further with Government, including accelerating the delivery of HS2 and reducing journey times from Manchester to Sheffield on the southern transpennine route. The Government press release can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-sets-a-vision-for-a-northern-powerhouse-of-the-british-economy