£950m to be invested in Yorkshire transport after HS2 axed with detailed plans for Leeds yet to be unveiled

The government announced today (February 26) that the huge sum is on its way to councils, which will decide what new projects to fund.

These projects could include new roads, refurbishing train stations, and installing electric charging points, for example.

Leeds has already been promised £2.5bn for a mass transit system that would cover West Yorkshire as part of Network North, a huge plan to improve transport that was announced by the government last year.

It comes after the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced four months ago that high-speed rail links in the region would be axed.

In 2021, it was decided that the Leeds leg of HS2 would no longer be included in the scheme - but the more recent announcement in October meant that the North of England would no longer benefit from the long-planned project.

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Today, the government said that the investment of £947m would mean that leaders in smaller cities, towns and rural areas would be empowered for the first time to invest in transport upgrades that matter most to their communities.

The funding boost will come from April 2025.

Over seven years, the funding will be on average at least nine times more than local authorities currently receive through the local integrated transport block, which is the current mechanism for funding local transport improvements.

At Cabinet today, the Prime Minister is expected to call on Ministers and MPs to hold local authorities to account to ensure the funding is used appropriately and that the voices of communities are heard when decisions are made on where the funding goes.

Mr Sunak said: “We have a clear plan to level up our country with greater transport links that people need and deliver the right long-term change for a brighter future.

“Through reallocating HS2 funding, we’re not only investing nearly £1 billion directly back into our smaller cities, towns and rural areas across Yorkshire and the Humber, but we are also empowering their local leaders to invest in the transport projects that matters most to them - this is levelling up in action."

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Today’s £947 million investment is truly game-changing for the smaller cities, towns, and rural communities across Yorkshire and the Humber, and is only possible because this Government has a plan to improve local transport and is willing to take tough decisions like reallocating funding from the second phase of HS2."