Delivering for the North West
Today's budget delivers on Conservative promises to level up every region and nation of the UK, and invest in
communities across the country, generating the prosperity this country needs to invest in its public
services.
• We are investing in infrastructure in towns and cities across the North West, investing in its people and in its communities.
This ranges from small-scale to major investments in infrastructure, including a five - year transport settlement for Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region and over £25 million for flood defences.
• Last year’s election gave a clear verdict, and now this Government is delivering on the promises made to the British people, so that everyone can have the same chances opportunities in life and that no area is left behind.
Key regional statistics:
• Employment: There are 356,000 more people in employment in the North West since 2010, meaning more families with the security of a regular wage.
• Unemployment: The number of people unemployed in the North West has fallen by 4 6.9 per cent since 2010.
• Tax cuts: We are providing a tax cut for 3.3 million people in the North West , helping people to keep more of their own money – and lifting 121,000 people out of paying Class 1 and Class 4 NICs altogether.
• National Living Wage: There are 252,000 people in the North West having a pay rise in 20 20 thanks to our increase to the National Living Wage, helping to boost the pay of the lowest paid.
Budget announcements for the North West include:
Investing in transport ...
• Providing a five - year, intra-city transport settlement for Greater Manchester and Liverpool from a new £4.2 billion fund to improve local transport.
Starting in 2022 - 23, we will improve intra-city transport and build on the existing devolved Transforming Cities Fund allocation s.
• Boosting spending by £700 million on major strategic road schemes between 2020 and 2025.
Great news for Cumbria: This involves starting to dual the A66 across the Pennines.
It also includes improving the M60. We will also develop plans to relieve congestion around South East Manchester.
• Delivering £66 million in additional funding for local road maintenance. The North West will receive £66 million for local road maintenance through the Potholes Fund in 2020-21.
• Providing £40 million for Preston City Region to deliver a new train station at Cottam Parkway. The funding will be provided through the Transforming Cities Fund, and provided a new station at Cottam Parkway on the Preston - Blackpool line.
• Improving accessibility for disabled people at Walkden Railway Station. This is part of a £50 million programme to improve station accessibility.
Improving flood defences...
The government is doubling investment in flood prevention to £5 billion. Cumbria and the North West will see a share of this action.
• Improving flood defences to protect more homes from extreme weather events. We are providing £23 million for Fleetwood, £4.5 million for Southport and £700,000 for Manchester to protect over 12,500 properties.
Developing new homes ...
• Supporting the development of thousands of homes.
We will provide £51 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund for the Manchester Northern Gateway inner-city regeneration project to unlock up to 5,557 homes, and £140 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund for the South Lancaster Growth Catalyst proposal to unlock up to 9,185 homes.
These build on the support we’ve already given the North West:
• Increasing per pupil funding for 145 secondary schools across the North West .
Secondary schools will receive at least £5,000 per pupil, while 501 primary schools will level up to at least £3,750 per pupil.
• Upgrading facilities and equipment in hospitals across the North West. Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust an d NHS Wirral CCG will all receive targeted funding – including £72.3 million to build an adult mental health inpatient unit at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.
• Supporting local growth with £1.6 billion. The funding, from the Local Growth Fund, is being used to support £35 million for further education colleges in Greater Manchester and £13.5 million road improvements and bus infrastructure in Chester.
Other Budget measures for hardworking families in the North West include:
• Investing in further education, the arts and sports in schools to ensure everyone gets the best start. We will invest £1. 5 billion over five years to refurbish further education colleges.
The Budget also provides £29 million a year by 2023-24 to support primary school PE teaching, ensuring children are getting an active start to life and £90 million a year to introduce an Arts Premium to secondary schools in England – averaging out as £25,000 per secondary school for three years.
• Committing to a new £3 billion Skills Fund to ensure people gain the skills they need to get rewarding well - paid jobs. We will consult with people and employers on how to target the fund in the best way.
• Putting more money in peoples’ pockets with a tax cut of more than £200 for the typical family.
We will increase the National Insurance threshold to £9,500 this April, benefiting 31 million people with a typical employee saving over £100 in 2020 – the first step to reaching our ambition to increase the threshold to £12,500.
• Increasing the National Living Wage to boost the wages of the lowest paid.
The National Living Wage will increase by 6.2 per cent to £8.72 from April.
The Budget commits to a new ambitious target for the National Living Wage to end low pay and extend this to workers aged 21 and over by 2024.
• Helping people to keep more of their hard - earned money by leaving full - time workers on the minimum wage £5,200 better off than in 2010.
Thanks to our changes to the National Living Wage and National Insurance Threshold, someone working full time on the National Living Wage is £5,200 better off than in 2010.
Our decision to freeze fuel duty for ten consecutive years has also saved the average car driver £1,200 – meaning an average worker could be up to £6,400 a year better off than in 2010.
• Axing the tampon tax now we have left the EU. We will reduce the cost of essential sanitary products for women in the UK, abolishing the tampon tax from 1st January 2021.
• We are investing in infrastructure in towns and cities across the North West, investing in its people and in its communities.
This ranges from small-scale to major investments in infrastructure, including a five - year transport settlement for Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region and over £25 million for flood defences.
• Last year’s election gave a clear verdict, and now this Government is delivering on the promises made to the British people, so that everyone can have the same chances opportunities in life and that no area is left behind.
Key regional statistics:
• Employment: There are 356,000 more people in employment in the North West since 2010, meaning more families with the security of a regular wage.
• Unemployment: The number of people unemployed in the North West has fallen by 4 6.9 per cent since 2010.
• Tax cuts: We are providing a tax cut for 3.3 million people in the North West , helping people to keep more of their own money – and lifting 121,000 people out of paying Class 1 and Class 4 NICs altogether.
• National Living Wage: There are 252,000 people in the North West having a pay rise in 20 20 thanks to our increase to the National Living Wage, helping to boost the pay of the lowest paid.
Budget announcements for the North West include:
Investing in transport ...
• Providing a five - year, intra-city transport settlement for Greater Manchester and Liverpool from a new £4.2 billion fund to improve local transport.
Starting in 2022 - 23, we will improve intra-city transport and build on the existing devolved Transforming Cities Fund allocation s.
• Boosting spending by £700 million on major strategic road schemes between 2020 and 2025.
Great news for Cumbria: This involves starting to dual the A66 across the Pennines.
It also includes improving the M60. We will also develop plans to relieve congestion around South East Manchester.
• Delivering £66 million in additional funding for local road maintenance. The North West will receive £66 million for local road maintenance through the Potholes Fund in 2020-21.
• Providing £40 million for Preston City Region to deliver a new train station at Cottam Parkway. The funding will be provided through the Transforming Cities Fund, and provided a new station at Cottam Parkway on the Preston - Blackpool line.
• Improving accessibility for disabled people at Walkden Railway Station. This is part of a £50 million programme to improve station accessibility.
Improving flood defences...
The government is doubling investment in flood prevention to £5 billion. Cumbria and the North West will see a share of this action.
• Improving flood defences to protect more homes from extreme weather events. We are providing £23 million for Fleetwood, £4.5 million for Southport and £700,000 for Manchester to protect over 12,500 properties.
Developing new homes ...
• Supporting the development of thousands of homes.
We will provide £51 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund for the Manchester Northern Gateway inner-city regeneration project to unlock up to 5,557 homes, and £140 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund for the South Lancaster Growth Catalyst proposal to unlock up to 9,185 homes.
These build on the support we’ve already given the North West:
• Increasing per pupil funding for 145 secondary schools across the North West .
Secondary schools will receive at least £5,000 per pupil, while 501 primary schools will level up to at least £3,750 per pupil.
• Upgrading facilities and equipment in hospitals across the North West. Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust an d NHS Wirral CCG will all receive targeted funding – including £72.3 million to build an adult mental health inpatient unit at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.
• Supporting local growth with £1.6 billion. The funding, from the Local Growth Fund, is being used to support £35 million for further education colleges in Greater Manchester and £13.5 million road improvements and bus infrastructure in Chester.
Other Budget measures for hardworking families in the North West include:
• Investing in further education, the arts and sports in schools to ensure everyone gets the best start. We will invest £1. 5 billion over five years to refurbish further education colleges.
The Budget also provides £29 million a year by 2023-24 to support primary school PE teaching, ensuring children are getting an active start to life and £90 million a year to introduce an Arts Premium to secondary schools in England – averaging out as £25,000 per secondary school for three years.
• Committing to a new £3 billion Skills Fund to ensure people gain the skills they need to get rewarding well - paid jobs. We will consult with people and employers on how to target the fund in the best way.
• Putting more money in peoples’ pockets with a tax cut of more than £200 for the typical family.
We will increase the National Insurance threshold to £9,500 this April, benefiting 31 million people with a typical employee saving over £100 in 2020 – the first step to reaching our ambition to increase the threshold to £12,500.
• Increasing the National Living Wage to boost the wages of the lowest paid.
The National Living Wage will increase by 6.2 per cent to £8.72 from April.
The Budget commits to a new ambitious target for the National Living Wage to end low pay and extend this to workers aged 21 and over by 2024.
• Helping people to keep more of their hard - earned money by leaving full - time workers on the minimum wage £5,200 better off than in 2010.
Thanks to our changes to the National Living Wage and National Insurance Threshold, someone working full time on the National Living Wage is £5,200 better off than in 2010.
Our decision to freeze fuel duty for ten consecutive years has also saved the average car driver £1,200 – meaning an average worker could be up to £6,400 a year better off than in 2010.
• Axing the tampon tax now we have left the EU. We will reduce the cost of essential sanitary products for women in the UK, abolishing the tampon tax from 1st January 2021.
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