Local authorities across England can bid for a share of the £1.7 billion Transforming Cities Fund to help cut congestion.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, made the announcement in the Spring Statement yesterday (March 13).

Up to 10 English city regions will be selected to work with the Department for Transport (DfT) to co-develop a package of proposals. These will focus on improving public and sustainable transport links to centres of employment and driving up productivity.

The announcement is the next step in the Transforming Cities Fund, launched as part of the Industrial Strategy at the Autumn Budget 2017 to address weaknesses in city transport systems in order to increase access to jobs and prosperity. This investment is part of the government’s £31bn National Productivity Investment Fund aimed at improving productivity, which is key to raising living standards.

The fund will support new local transport links, particularly for those struggling to travel between city centres and suburban areas.

Proposals will be accepted from local transport authorities outside London who represent a city region with a workday population of around 200,000 or more people.

The first £840 million of the fund has already begun to be allocated, with six Mayoral Combined Authorities empowered to deliver schemes that will make commuter journeys faster, better and safer.

The six authorities are:

  • West Midlands - £250 million
  • Greater Manchester - £243 million
  • Liverpool - £134 million
  • West of England - £80 million
  • Cambridge and Peterborough - £74 million
  • Tees Valley - £59 million

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