Powering Up The North
The Briefing Room
BBC
4.8 • 731 Ratings
🗓️ 16 January 2020
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The government wants an infrastructure revolution in the north of England. David Aaronovitch looks at whether improving transport networks could reduce economic differences between the north and south. He talks to experts about how the Treasury judges whether a project value for money. And he considers which projects might be the best ones to pursue and whether we have the necessary skills to deliver them.
Contributors
Geraldine Scott, The Yorkshire Post
Alasdair Reisner, Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA)
Dr Marianne Sensier, University of Manchester
Tom Forth, Open Data Institute, Leeds
Paul Swinney, The Centre for Cities Producers: Rosamund Jones, Jordan Dunbar, Kirsteen Knight Editor: Jasper Corbett
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:04.9 | Welcome to the briefing room with me, David O'onovich. |
| 0:08.1 | The briefing room is the Mind Chamber, where in 28 minutes, |
| 0:11.5 | you and I get to understand a big issue with the help of the top experts on the subject. |
| 0:16.8 | This week, let's imagine that you and me have got a job share |
| 0:20.1 | as newly appointed infrastructure minister |
| 0:22.4 | charged with rebalancing the economy between the north of England and the south-east. |
| 0:28.1 | What should we do? |
| 0:36.4 | Within North Weston is delayed by approximately 13 minutes. |
| 0:40.3 | As a consultant at the local hospital, all the cancellations and delays really impact on my working week |
| 0:48.3 | to the point where sometimes it's really quite embarrassing how late we arrive. |
| 0:51.3 | It's got to the point now where I'm seriously looking for another job. It's actually quite impressive that they can make it so awful. |
| 0:57.0 | We just feel like they've been forgotten about, you know, everyone's concentrating up like what London ends, you know, |
| 1:02.0 | where all the money is. |
| 1:04.0 | Experiences like that and sentiments like that have helped lead to the latest bout of government |
| 1:10.0 | promising to rebalance the country's economy. |
| 1:13.1 | In recent days, the Chancellor of the Exchequer heralded a coming infrastructure revolution, |
| 1:18.8 | most of it thought to be in the north of England. Much of the focus is likely to be improving |
| 1:23.9 | transport networks. More details are likely to emerge in the budget in March. |
| 1:28.8 | So this week, I want to know what it will take to make such an infrastructure revolution real |
| 1:34.0 | and to what extent could it power up the northern economy. Step inside the briefing room. |
| 1:42.7 | First stop, Leeds. |
... |
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