Leeds City Council’s leader has given his response to the UK Government’s newly-published Spending Review 2025.
Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said:
“Today’s Spending Review is a big moment for the country and contains much that makes encouraging reading for both the council and the city of Leeds as a whole.
“The £39bn national investment in affordable housing announced by the Chancellor is welcome news for local authorities, and underlines the value of what we have already achieved as a council with the delivery of hundreds of new homes in Leeds.
“Confirmation of £2.1bn of funding support for a new tram network serving Leeds and other parts of West Yorkshire, meanwhile, is a vital boost for a scheme that will bring jobs and opportunities within easier reach of thousands of people.
“The £240m announced for work to increase capacity and ease congestion at Leeds City Station will also make a huge difference to our transport infrastructure.
“It was really pleasing, too, to hear that the Chancellor will be setting out plans in the coming weeks to take forward the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme.
“In addition, I’m delighted that Middleton Park Avenue has been named as one of 25 trailblazer neighbourhoods that will receive up to £20m over the next decade to support regeneration and renewal.
“Investment in areas such as school buildings, NHS technology and training for young people will also, I’m sure, have a positive impact on communities across cities like Leeds.
“It should be stressed, however, that we, in common with local authorities up and down the country, continue to face severe financial pressures following austerity-era cuts that saw our core government funding reduced by roughly £260m for each year between 2011 and 2023.
“This means, as we digest the full details and implications of the Spending Review, we will be working as hard as ever to keep delivering our frontline services in ways that meet the needs of the people of Leeds and are also cost effective.”
Meanwhile, Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin said:
“The chancellor inherited a terrible hand from the previous government and has taken some really difficult decisions to fix the public finances.
“She has resisted the temptation to make popular short-term decisions, by focusing on long-term investments in infrastructure to help boost economic growth, including our long-awaited project to bring trams back to the streets of Leeds and Bradford.
“This ambition must now be matched in next week’s infrastructure plan with a firm commitment to vital projects set out in Yorkshire’s plan for rail, including a new city centre through station in Bradford and action to address congestion at Leeds, which is the busiest in the North.
“Long gone are the days when London and the South hog the majority of the nation’s transport spending. I believe this government gets it and will illustrate that by continuing to work in partnership with mayors to renew Britain, backing areas that have been neglected by Westminster for decades and doing right by working people.”
