Petition calls for investment in Transport for the North

IPPR North’s petition calling for more money for transport in the North has attracted over 52,000 signatures.

IPPR North, the dedicated think tank for the north of England with bases in Manchester and Newcastle, are urging more people to sign the petition for better Transport for the North –  here.

PAUL DIMOLDENBERG, Chairman of Quatro PR explains more: 

The IPPR North petition for better Transport for the North calls on the Secretary of State for Transport to

• Pledge his immediate backing for the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme including a new state-of-the-art 30-minute rail link between Manchester and Leeds – a ‘Crossrail North’;
• Make an immediate commitment to at least £59 billion ‘catch-up cash’ over the coming decade to support the transport priorities being developed by Transport for the North; 
• Give Transport for the North the same powers as those enjoyed by Transport for London so that it can also raise private finance towards its own transport priorities.

The petition is the start of a relentless campaign for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Petition calls for greater investment in Transport for the North

IPPR said the North needs to organise and campaign as a single economic entity if it is to secure the Government funding for Northern Powerhouse Rail. In Transport for the North we have a strong body and a clear message; this message now needs to be amplified from across the North.  The North cannot rely on anything other than its own efforts making the case with facts and figures, passion and a relentless, single-minded campaign.

Last November, Quatro PR helped Addleshaw Goddard, Atkins and Grant Thornton to draw together over 100 northern based businesses and to create the report ‘Unlocking Growth in the North’ here with media and political acclaim. https://www.addleshawgoddard.com/en/insights/insights-briefings/2016/transport/new-transport-report-unlocking-growth-in-the-north/

The group are calling for “a focussed and effective campaign to force Northern Powerhouse Rail on to the national political agenda and to keep it there until Government agrees to the necessary funding and powers to make it happen.”

The campaign needs to be led by a private/public sector partnership with cross-party support and reaching out beyond the narrow confines of Westminster and Whitehall.

The Northern Powerhouse Rail campaign should be the ‘beating heart’ of the UK’s post-Brexit future, bringing new opportunities, new promise and new hope for many Northern communities.  Importantly, it will need to be one clear message echoed by a thousand voices.

E pdimoldenberg@quatro-pr.co.uk