Budget leaves transport black hole

Transport and travel union TSSA has slammed the government for a Budget which which" leaves a gaping black hole" on transport policy, just days after sneaking out delays to High Speed 2 (HS2)..  

Delivering his Budget statement in the Commons Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, had nothing to say on transport policy beyond pothole repairs. However last Thursday the Conservatives tried to sneak out delays to parts of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project.  

Commenting, TSSA Interim President, Marios Alexandrou said: “This was a Tory Budget which leaves a gaping black hole where transport policy should be.  

“Instead of commitments to make our railways and buses front and centre of the recovery from the pandemic and the economic catastrophe of the Liz Truss era, we had a Chancellor unable to offer a single word about the future of public transport.  

“This should come as no surprise because in recent days we've seen the absence of leadership on HS2 with Tory delays to this vital project - a mark of outright failure to level up the North. 

“What’s needed is a government that realises that there can be no long-term sustainable growth for our regional and national economies without proper investment in HS2 and our railways more widely as the greenest means of mass transport.”