Lack of South West transport funding criticised

The government has been accused of leaving Devon and Cornwall behind in terms of transport investment.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £15.6bn of funding for transport projects across parts of England including Greater Manchester, the Midlands, West England and Yorkshire on Wednesday.

Politicians and business leaders based in Devon and Cornwall have criticised the government for overlooking the region after no money was earmarked for projects in either county.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it was committed to delivering infrastructure that would boost the whole country.

Leigh Frost, leader of Cornwall Council, said the county's roadwork of more than 4,500 miles (7,242km) would have to be maintained with limited support.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said: "Our residents deserve a reliable, affordable, and integrated public transport system.

"Instead, we're left to struggle with making the Cornish pound stretch further to support our underfunded services, while other areas receive the lion's share of investment."

Ben Maguire, Lib Dem MP for North Cornwall, said the county had "yet again been overlooked" by the government and the area deserved much better.

"We've had promises of 'levelling up', but this £15bn plan doesn't offer a single penny for our region," Mr Maguire added.

Lib Dem MP for St Ives Andrew George accused the government of targeting "handpicked mayoral zones" with its £15.6bn of funding.

Mr George added: "So we're expected to believe this is a politically neutral decision based on need?"

Cornwall's Chamber of Commerce said transport consistently ranked as the top priority for businesses in the county, but said there was still not enough support from the government.

John Brown, the chamber's chief executive, said Cornwall was being left behind.

"Our businesses struggle daily with connectivity issues that limit growth potential," he said.

"While metro mayors across England receive billions for trams and mass transit, Cornwall's economy continues to be hampered by inadequate bus services and rail connections that fail to meet business needs."

The funding announcement also received criticism in Devon.

Rebecca Smith, Conservative MP for South West Devon, said she was "deeply disappointed" that no money had been given to Devon or Cornwall.

"Anyone living in our corner of the UK will know that our transport infrastructure languishes behind the rest of the nation," Ms Smith said.

"I have warned before that the South West risks becoming Labour's forgotten region. It seems this remains true."

Jayne Kirkham, Labour MP for Truro and Falmouth, defended the government, saying the funding was focused on city regions.

She said she and Perran Moon, Labour MP for Camborne and Redruth, had been told more help was expected in Spending Review due to be set out by the chancellor on 11 June.

"We will be pushing and pushing and pushing our government to make sure we get as much as we can for Cornwall, because we know how much we need it here," Ms Kirkham said.

The DfT said Wednesday's announcement would help more than a quarter of England's population get better transport infrastructure.

A spokesperson added decisions on future transport spending would be announced as part of the Spending Review.

"We are committed to delivering transport infrastructure that will boost growth and opportunity across the whole country, as part of our 'Plan for Change'," the spokesperson said.

"This includes investing in Cornwall – where this year alone we are already providing £10m towards better bus services, up to £48m for highways and local transport maintenance and £1.1m to enable better walking, wheeling and cycling opportunities."

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