Thinktank calls for £15bn to create 'Transport for North'

A thinktank is calling for the Chancellor to use this month's budget to give £15 billion to the North East.

IPPR North says George Osborne should use the budget to create a £15 billion transport devolution package, which they say is needed to fire up the 'Northern powerhouse'.

Their blueprint for devolving transport powers in England sets out plans for the North to take far more control over transport in the region by forming a body called Transport for the North (TfN), imitating the existing Transport for London (TfL).

To kick-start the process, the report urges the Chancellor to use the last Budget of the Parliament to invest in the £15 billion 'One North' infrastructure priorities brought forward by Northern cities last year - often referred to as 'HS3'.

The plans would provide much-needed improvements to rail and road links between the cities that drive the Northern economy - Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield - and other key Northern economic assets.