On the wrong track: An analysis of the autumn statement announcements on transport infrastructure

Article

Much was made in the chancellor's autumn statement of how every region of England will benefit from increased infrastructure spending, with the chancellor listing a host of road and rail projects in the North of England as part of his speech. In order to assess these claims, IPPR North has analysed the data detailing the projects to be brought forward as part of the national infrastructure pipeline.

Behind the rhetoric of rebalancing, our analysis reveals a very different picture and a series of regional disparities that are, at a simple level, unfair. But they also defy the economic logic upon which they are supposedly based. While the government is right to focus on infrastructure investment, a greater proportion of its investment needs to be channelled to so-called 'lagging regions' in order to get the UK economy firing on all cylinders.

Related items

  1. Forging ahead: Deciding the direction of IPPR's Migration Policy Unit

    In our last blog post for the Migration Policy Unit we shared our new way of working as we endeavour to be inclusive and transparent in our policymaking process. In this blog we set out what our first and flagship project is for the policy…

  2. Who gets a good deal? Revealing public attitudes to transport in Great Britain

    Transport isn’t working. That’s the message from the British public. This is especially true if you’re on a low income, disabled or living in the countryside. The cost of living crisis has exposed the shortcomings of our transport system,…

  3. Bhargav Srinivasa Desikan on TalkTV discussing AI

    IPPR's Bhargav Srinivasa Desikan on TalkTV discussing his new report on the impact of generative AI on the UK labour market.