SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood has written to British Chancellor Rishi Sunak today calling for a significant infrastructure fund for the North after confirmation that the HS2 project will proceed at an estimated cost of up to £106 billion.
The Foyle MP has requested outline confirmation that such spend will result in significant Barnett allocations to the Executive that should be used to level up local infrastructure.
Said Mr Eastwood: “Developing regionally balanced infrastructure is critical to driving economic growth, creating new jobs and transforming the lives of people across the North.
“It is an urgent priority for the SDLP, that’s why we chose to take on the challenge of the Department for Infrastructure in the new Executive.
“While Boris Johnson talks about fantasy bridges, we’re concerned about building roads, upgrading rail and connecting our communities in a way that delivers opportunity for everyone.
“That’s why I’ve written to the British Chancellor today requesting detailed projections of the Barnett allocations the Executive should receive from projects like HS2, where costs are spiralling beyond £100 billion, to level up infrastructure on this island.
“We need to be ambitious about connecting our communities.
“We have a vision for supercharging transport infrastructure, attracting new industries and providing new opportunities for people and communities that have been left behind.
“That means finally delivering rail expansion into the West, investing in North South infrastructure like Narrow Water Bridge and a rapid rail service between Derry, Belfast and Dublin and connecting communities across the island in a real way.” added the Foyle MP.
