Julian Smith, Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon, has urged Yorkshire to get excited over the prospect of high speed rail coming to the region.
Speaking in last night’s House of Commons debate which gave approval to the project moving to the next stage of development, the MP called HS2 a ‘a phenomenal opportunity for Britain and particularly for Yorkshire and the north’.
He said:
“The opportunity for the north and for Yorkshire comes not just from the faster speeds to London and Birmingham or from the greater capacity, but from the massive economic investment to integrate Yorkshire and the north more closely.
“We need to be enthusiastic because transport is vital to our region’s productivity. If one compares the productivity of Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds to geographical areas of a similar size, such as Chicago and the Ruhr valley, there are billions of pounds of difference in the output.
“Not only is there lower productivity, but the number of FTSE 100 companies north of Birmingham is only six. Skills are slow to get across the region from west to east and supply chains are not short enough. The keys to fixing those problems are complex, but better transport is vital.
“We need to bring our northern cities closer together. Jim O’Neill and his City Growth Commission are absolutely right with the idea of “ManPool”, but perhaps we need to go further and bring all our northern cities closer together.
“Over the next 10 years, nearly half of global growth will come from just 400 cities. Yorkshire and the north must be in the race. We have a once in a century opportunity to get there. We have to look at how HS2 can be the backbone for that development. We need a second London. It will look different, but we need it if we are to compete in the world.”
Transport Minister Robert Goodwill agreed with the MP’s comments in his conclusion to the debate. He said:
“Who could not have been impressed by the enthusiasm of my Hon. Friend the Member for Skipton and Ripon for HS2 and for the advantages for God’s own county? He said that Yorkshire could aspire to have a second London, but I think we could do better than that.”