On Monday (8 March), local MP Robert Largan delivered a speech during the debate on the 2021 Budget, urging ministers to invest more in the North and Midlands. The Budget outlines the Government’s fiscal plans and growth strategy in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
During his speech, Robert Largan said:
“The Budget marks a real turning point for the north as a whole. For decades, Governments of all parties have focused far too much on London and the south-east, to the detriment of places such as High Peak. The Leader of the Opposition chose to pour scorn on the decision to relocate large parts of the Treasury to Darlington, which was announced alongside the establishment of the first infrastructure bank in Leeds. What the Labour leader fails to understand is that these moves represent an important shift in both power and the culture of the civil service. If senior civil servants all live in London and all commute into Whitehall, is it any surprise that the capital has done disproportionately well when it comes to Government investment? If senior civil servants were commuting into Manchester from, say, New Mills, I reckon that railway line would have been upgraded decades ago.”
The High Peak MP also discussed his work with the Levelling Up Taskforce, supported by the think tank Onward, to promote new policies for the Government’s levelling-up agenda, such as the ‘super deduction’, cutting companies’ tax bills by 25p for every pound invested in new equipment, announced in the Budget. The taskforce’s recent report Levelling-Up the Tax System included research showing how this tax reform will benefit places like Derbyshire the most.
A new £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, outlined in the Budget, has identified High Peak as a top priority area for funding. Robert Largan MP said he will be working with local partners to promote a bid and get more much-needed investment into the High Peak’s infrastructure.
Robert Largan MP commented:
“This is a really difficult time for so many in High Peak as we continue to fight the virus.
“But the end is in sight, and this Budget marks a major push to help places like the High Peak to build back better from this crisis.
“It’s great progress, but I am keeping the pressure on ministers to deliver real change for our local area.”
