Delighted to be part of annual Newcastle University debate on Northern Powerhouse and progress made

I was recently involved in an excellent and lively debate on the North-South, post-Brexit divide with Newcastle University and Res Publica. This is an annual Newcastle University event. The key points from the discussion were:

• SME-University collaboration  

• The skills gap 

• Devolution and double devolution  

• Metro-mayors 

• Transport infrastructure: HS2 and HS3 

• Productivity  

• The Northern Powerhouse  

Crucially, the conclusion of much of the discussion was that the efforts behind the Northern Powerhouse initiative is an ongoing processes rather than single events, and that silver bullets for the problem do not exist. 

There has been considerable progress since 2010: the Northern Powerhouse,cross-regional cooperation in health, tourism, transport and so on have been key levers and we are already seeing the green shoots of change. The greatest increase in the economically active population has been in the North East. The greatest increase in employment has been in the North East. 

But as the Chancellor Philip Hammond made very clear: we cannot rest on our laurels and we have a long way to go to solve the issue. There are political obstacles along the way: whilst the Greater Manchester area has embraced devolution and these forms of cooperation, integration and synergy, many other areas, including parts of the North East have so far backed off from embracing devolution. 

This is going to need cross business, government, academic, and local political cooperation and action but conversations have been and continue to be very positive. There was much optimism on this issue in the room, and I believe, quite rightly.

Rail Infrastructure plans are good news

This from the North East Chamber of Commerce: "in response to today’s news that a new transport body could be created to develop a high speed rail strategy for the North, NECC Policy and Research Manager, Mark Stephenson, said:

"The Northern chambers are united in support of high speed rail. Even though our region is not part of the current proposals, the impact HS2 will have on our members and the ensuing economic uplift this will generate in the North of England will be significant. We welcome any efforts to speed up delivery. A new body for the North is something that would not only give us a voice at the decision making table, but also a better platform to make the case that a high speed rail link to Scotland must come through the North East. The last significant investment in the UK rail network was over 100 years ago. Future business success depends on infrastructure networks that meet demand. Rail is no exception. The UK rail network must have the capacity to meet rocketing business demand – for long-distance services, for commuter rail services, and for the transport of freight.

The channel tunnel, HS1 and countless other rail schemes all stand as monuments against those that said they were too expensive and too difficult: they have delivered and continue to deliver for UK Plc. HS2 could create 22,000 construction related jobs in the next five years, potentially rising to 50,000 by the late 2020s and how the Core Cities group predicts that HS2 will create 400,000 jobs and deliver local economic output productivity gains of £15bn per year by 2037."

One North shows the Northern Cities working together - with a long term economic plan

Chancellor welcomes the work of the big 5 Northern Cities:
I have long said that there is no doubt that when the cities of the North work together real change can happen. We have seen this with the LA7, the proposals of the Adonis Report, and now this report.
The report can be found here:
http://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/download/5969/one_north
It is genuinely great news that the five cities in the north of England have come together with one aim, to improve their economic prosperity by working together. Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Leeds have responded to a challenge set them by the Chancellor, and Sir David Higgins, the head of HS2, to begin competing more effectively with London.

There is no doubt that the Cities of northern England are powerful individually but better as one force.

This report and the progress made will ensure we are competitive and prosper in the global economy, and this investment in infrastructure will improve the links between all the major northern cities. The government have listened and built on the success of City Deals and devolved funding. The Local Authorities are now working together ever more closely and this can only be a good thing.

Among the many major successes proposed are a new rail line using faster trains between Newcastle and the Darlington area designed to save 10 minutes journey time, plus speeding up and making more reliable services to London from Newcastle on the East Coast mainline before HS2 is completed; this coupled to the measures to enhance and grow our regions roads and airport are good things.
The Journal report is here:  http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/15bn-plan-revolutionise-transport-newcastle-7561727

Thoughts on the HS2 debate a few days on - in 50 Years time will we wonder what the fuss was about?

My question in the HS2 Debate focused on the problem with all large infrastructure projects.

"All the northern councils and chambers of commerce back HS2 unequivocally as a source of growth and extra capacity. Is it not the case that all major infrastructure projects are objected to at the time of their creation, and that 50 years on, the objectors fully support what took place?"

HS1, M25, West Coast Mainline, East Coast mainline etc etc were all objected to before they were built. All are a big success now and used by millions. Indeed West Coast Mainline was originally defeated in parliament. The arguments for HS2 are strong. We need to think long term.

And on the point of whether rail spending is HS2 and nothing else it is true that many people against this project ask “Why not spend the money elsewhere?” This is about spending money elsewhere as well as, not instead of, on this project.

Patrick McLoughlin, the Secretary of State for Transport addressed this point by making the point that:
"Over the next five years Network Rail will spend £38.5 billion on the existing railway network. That is separate from the money being earmarked for HS2."

The Full debate from Monday is here:
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2014-04-28a.557.0&s=speaker%3A24962#g561.2

HS2 Bill to be debated for 2 days in the Commons: I support it

Train usage has doubled in the last 20 years and we simply do not have the capacity to cope on existing lines. Yes that is right - we as a nation take twice as many train journeys as we did when the service was nationalised British Rail. But, on any interpretation, our rail network is bursting at the seams, and our train operators are struggling to provide the service and capacity that we now expect from our train service. That is the context which HS2 needs to be judged within.

To those who say that we could improve our rail network simply by upgrading existing lines I would say two things: if you accept that you need new rail capacity you might as well build a good train line. Secondly, upgrading existing lines is very expensive, very slow, and does not produce the long term benefits of a second line. Look at the cost and problems of West Coast Mainline upgrading.
Every large infrastructure project from the M25, HS1 or whatever has its doubters and heavyweight opponents. Only the famous Humber Bridge has failed to reap the benefits. Indeed the original builders of the railways faced opponents of the construction of the West Coast Mainline and East Coast Mainline in the 19th century.

In 1832 Parliament rejected the initial bill [for the West Coast Mainline] because some people objected. They argued that canals and rivers were all you'd ever need for long-distance travel, anyway. Indeed, our case for change is even more stark today; we are a country in a global race for jobs, investment and infrastructure. At the start of 2007, China didn't have a single high speed rail line. Today it has over 6,000 miles in service. By 2015 that will be 11,000 miles, while we have just 67 miles, from London to Kent and the Channel Tunnel. All the Northern Local Authorities and the NECC back the project, and whilst Ed Balls and some North East MPs are against, we cannot rail [forgive the pun] against this country's lack of infrastructure and then get upset when it costs money and takes time.
We in the North have still got to ensure that the details of the Northern extensions to Newcastle and beyond are worked through properly. But on the fundamental principle of the need for HS2 I am satisfied and I will vote for it in the division lobbies this week. Certainly our grandchildren will look back in wonder at those who opposed the M25, HS1 + HS2 and ask what planet were you on? The world is changing. We need to change with it.

A trip to St Pauls Cathedral for consecration of Bishop Graham Usher punctuates my week in Westminster

Back in Westminster prepping for a busy week, hoping to speak in the Budget debate and education questions on Monday and a further session of the Criminal Justice Bills Committee on Tuesday. I am also meeting the HS2 team, including Sir David Higgins.
But the highlight of the week the visit on Tuesday morning to St Pauls to worship, and also support Bishop Usher at his consecration.  Graham has been a central part of our lives for a very long time, and I certainly owe him a massive debt.
When he was chosen I wrote of what a loss he would be:
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/hexhams-loss-huge-gain-for-dudley-black.html
but everyone locally has a collective agreement that the Church was wise to promote one who is so able on so many levels. Many constituents are coming down to support him. It will be a special morning.

Tomorrow is a very busy day for me: I am prepping a Budget Debate speech to be given on Monday evening. Before then I will be asking questions of the Education team at 3.15 tomorrow afternoon. I am unsure if David Laws or Michael Gove is responding but I intend to try and raise the Fairer Funding Campaign if I can. I also have plenty of constituents visiting the House of Commons during the week.

The Weekend Read: HS2 will go ahead, and I support it

I have been much impressed by the appointment of Sir David Higgins to project manage HS2.
He is making the case eloquently and better than has been done before. Higgins makes a strong case for the line, explaining why there is no alternative. He warns that the existing rail lines risk becoming similar to the ‘Piccadilly line at rush hour’. He says:

‘There are no new train paths. We’d love to put more trains on the west coast. It performs at 85 per cent. It’s a very tired, old, smartly refurbished railway line that is right at capacity. It’s the busiest mixed use railway line in Europe and it’s showing. We can’t get more trains on it. HS2 offers 18 train paths an hour each way’

Higgins also says ‘the clock is always ticking’ and political dithering remains the greatest threat to the project. While the Conservative leadership are ‘passionate’ about the line, he is less convinced about Labour. As well as a concern HS2 is a ‘vanity project’ — albeit one they founded — Labour’s main worry is whether HS2 will be a waste of money and time. ‘They’re behind it but they want to be convinced that it will be managed responsibly’, said Higgins who thinks these are ‘legitimate questions’.

How strongly Labour believes in the project will soon be tested. The response from Ed Balls and Miliband on Higgins’ first report, due out in March, will be a crucial indicator of whether Labour’s support will continue through to the general election. The Hybrid Bill is currently awaiting a second reading in the Commons — something the advocates of the line want to see soon. But there is still a lot of doubt of whether the bill will be passed before the election. Higgins is right: the longer we dither, the less chance there is of HS2 actually happening.
Full details of Higgins recent interview on the line and the british approach to big infrastructure projects and railways here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/10613663/HS2-British-rail-network-cannot-live-without-it-says-high-speed-projects-boss.html

Hezza weighs in behind HS2 with force

Heseltine, one of the big beasts of government over the last 40 years yesterday made the case for HS2. Speaking at the Royal Town Planning Institute, the former Transport Secretary said that the new line is about spreading prosperity and doing ‘the right thing’ for our country:


‘HS2 is about our country’s competitiveness for a half century or more. It is about so many more people sharing growth that has, for too long, been concentrated on London and the South East. It’s all about drawing together our economy as a whole as well as improving our access to the enlarged, and enlarging, home market of Europe. It is not about 30 minutes off London to Birmingham.’

On the Today programme yesterday, Heseltine explained why HS2 is key to reinforcing Britain’s buccaneering spirit: ‘Here’s a really imaginative project in order to try and do something to rebalance the United Kingdom. I personally have given a lot of my time in politics to try and achieve precisely that sense of adventure, that sense of expansion, that sense of can-do back into those great towns of the midlands and the north that made this country in the first place.’

Heseltine has form with big, unpopular infrastructure projects. As the man behind the redevelopment of the London Docklands and High Speed 1, Heseltine believes these projects are about more than economics; social and environmental well-being are just as important.
When presented with the poor cost-benefit analysis of HS2, Heseltine said ‘this is all mumbo-jumbo. The guys with slide rules, they don’t know’. In his lecture, Heseltine suggested that if he had predicted the 2012 Olympics in Stratford, the O2 in Greenwich or HS1 40 years ago, he would have been ‘carried off by men in white coats’. Sadly, many feel the same way about HS2.

By using his own historical examples — which ring true — as well as offering suggestions for bringing down the costs (unsurprisingly, he’s advocating Urban Development Corporations in the appropriate areas), Heseltine could be paving the way for a new cross party consensus on the project.

HS2 Debate is a strong win but where was Balls?

Parliament yesterday debated the HS2 Paving Bill and passed it by 350-36.
225 Conservative MPs voted for it, including me - 18 Conservative MPs voted against.
Labour's official position was to support the legislation. Phil Wilson, the sensible Labour MP for Sedgefield gave a very good speech, but 11 Labour MPs voted against.

However, the interesting stat is this: only 74 Labour MPs bothered to actually turn up and vote for it. The rest were absent or abstained. Among those who bunked off was the Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls. Of course he may have had something more important to do.
But it might alternatively be a further clue that he is less supportive of the project than his Party’s official position would indicate.

At some stage the Labour Party are going to have to decide if they really support this scheme or not. As onbe critic put it: their voting record today amounts to a “don’t know.”

Labour Councils back HS2

HS2 is supported wholeheartedly by Labour councils in the north east. Their MPs need to back it too:
Nick Forbes, Newcastle Councils leader was down in London yesterday. I did not discuss it with him when I saw him yesterday but todays story in the Journal is interesting.
The Journal reveals that he wrote to Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary Mary Creagh warning that the HS2 rail line was a “once-in-a-generation infrastructure investment for the whole of the UK, and, in particular, the North of England”.
But he said it needed “ongoing commitment from all the main political parties” to go ahead.
The letter is part of a campaign by Labour leaders in England’s major cities who are increasingly worried that Labour’s sudden U-turn over the project known as High Speed Two or HS2 is putting it at risk.
Gordon Brown’s government announced in 2010 that it was committed to building a new high-speed rail line.
But Labour now says it is not convinced the line should be built - even if costs don’t rise any higher than the current budget of £42.2bn, which includes £28.2bn for the line and £14.4bn in contingency funding.
In his letter to Ms Creagh, seen by the Journal, Coun Forbes urged her “to give a very clear commitment to the growth and rebalancing of the UK economy which HS2 will bring”.
He said: “HS2 will bring economic regeneration and opportunity to cities and regions across the UK, in particular driving growth outside of London and the South East - making best use of what cities and regions across the UK have to offer.”
He urged her: “In the Core Cities we are already doing our bit but councils and businesses need to move forward with confidence in the future of HS2. So, I urge you to give the clearest commitment that we can all plan for future, sustainable growth supported by HS2 and wider transport investment.”
The HS2 line would run from London to Birmingham and then to Manchester and Leeds.
Trains from Leeds would transfer to the East Coast Main Line and continue to Darlington and Newcastle.
More details here:
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-city-council-leader-urges-6254050

Trains, and the odd bike too

The reshuffles will have an impact on all of these departments but most significant for the North is the change in the Labour front bench in relation to HS2 / The North South Rail link. Originally proposed by the Labour government and adopted by the Coalition this is still a project that needs our support. But big infrastructure projects only go ahead if they are apolitical [see Olympics, Crossrail, HS1 and M25] and I have great nervousness that the demotion of Maria Eagle from the Shadow Transport Brief means the Labour party is getting ready for the right moment to pour cold water on the ‘north-south line’.
Her replacement Mary Creagh has today been repeating the Ed Balls line about there being a question about whether this is "the best use of money" and "no blank cheques". I am strong in my view that we need to stick together on this project. All Labour activists should be making the case to their MPs that this needs our support.
As to cycling I am hopeful to get an early visit to the North East from Robert Goodwill, who is the trains and cycling Minister.

HS2 Debate today

The Second Reading of the HS2 Preparation Bill takes place today. I  believe it is the right project for Britain. HS2 is a vital part of the infrastructure overhaul that this government is delivering so that our country can compete in the global race. It will be the first line to be built north of London in 120 years and the simple fact is that, without it, the key rail and road routes connecting London, the Midlands and the North will soon be overwhelmed. Rail travel has doubled in a decade and even on moderate forecasts, the West Coast Mainline will be full by the mid 2020s. Therefore, this is not a choice between upgrading the existing railway and building a new railway. It is a choice between a new high speed line and a new conventional railway. The significant additional benefits make high speed the right answer.

As well as addressing the issue of capacity, HS2 offers huge opportunities to create jobs and boost our economy. Our lowest estimates are that the project will create 100,000 jobs. The Core Cities group goes further, predicting that it will underpin four times that number, with 70 per cent of them outside London. It is expected to provide around £50 billion pounds worth of economic benefits for the economy, with some estimates suggesting it will add more than £4 billion before it is even open. Our towns and cities, particularly across the North and Midlands, cannot afford to lose out on these opportunities.

Today marks an important milestone in the journey to HS2, as parliament votes on it for the first time. There will no doubt be challenges on the way. The fact is that the easiest thing for the government to do would be not to build it. But that would also be the wrong thing to do. HS2 is a once in a generation project that can be an engine of growth for the whole country. I hope you will work with me to make sure we fully realise its benefits while effectively managing its impacts.
This is a project begun by the Labour Party and being continued y the Coalition government and it is good news for the country and the north east

The week in Westminster

The Spending Review announcements on Wednesday dominates the wedstminster week but there are debates and bills on HS2, Armed Forces, careers advice in schools, and overseas companies paying more tax in uk also feature this coming week in the House. I am here till Thursday lunchtime then home for multiple school visits on Friday, surgeries and variety of events this weekend.