£1bn funding for transport is welcomed by politicians

POLITICIANS from across the Tees Valley have welcomed the Government's announcement to commit £1bn of funding to transport infrastructure projects across the region.

- By DANIEL HODGSON

However, priorities on what the money should be used for are varied, with Redcar's MP calling on the Tees Valley Mayor to bring buses into public control, something he has sworn off doing several times.

Some £978m was previously allocated to Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) under the last Conservative government as CRSTS2 funding, following the cancellation of part of HS2.

When Labour came into power they put the allocation - along with allocations to other combined authorities - under review, arguing that Tory announcements weren't backed up by cash.

In a written ministerial statement in summer 2024, then-Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said there was a “gap between promised schemes and the money available to deliver them” amounting to about £2.9bn which had been made clear to her by officials.

Prior to this, in January 2024, TVCA Cabinet approved 26 projects aimed at improving road, rail and bus travel across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool, utilising the £978m transport package.

Since that money was put under review nearly a year ago, concerns were raised about the pot of funding potentially being reduced or even cut completely.

Now that the full amount of funding has been confirmed, TVCA has said it means that work can accelerate on schemes such as a new station at Teesside Park.

Had only part of the money been confirmed, then TVCA Cabinet would have needed to convene to agree which of the 26 projects would be prioritised, but this will not be necessary following confirmation of full and complete funding.

Tees Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen welcomed the news, saying: “This is the right move.

“We've been tirelessly making the case for this money, announced by the previous government, to come to us.