MP sets out five top priorities to make sure we get our fair share

RUSHCLIFFE MP James Naish has outlined the five most important things the East Midlands needs after years of underfunding.

- By JOSEPH CONNOLLY Local Democracy Reporter

(PARLIAMENT TV)

An inquiry last year into the East Midlands’ “regional priorities” came to five “primary conclusions” on how the region could be improved.

Mr Naish (Lab) presented the results of the inquiry - commissioned by the East Midlands All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) - to a Westminster Hall debate on March 17, centred around “productivity and growth in the East Midlands”

The results were published in May before the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review in June, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out how money would split across the country until 2028-2029.

But, while the East Midlands was boosted by a number of announcements that day, such as its £2bn transport settlement, the region still hasn't had many of the inquiry’s recommendations executed or put into practice.

Reiterating the five recommendations, Mr Naish argued that the findings of the inquiry and the recommendations were “fair and grounded’

The first was that the Government needed to actively rebalance public investment, especially in transport, so it better reflects housing and employment growth, potential and delivery.