The UK government has provided more information on how it plans to reallocate funds from the cancelled northern sections of the HS2 rail line. Approximately £4.7bn will be given to councils outside major cities in the Midlands and northern England. These councils will then allocate the funds to specific projects, following government guidelines. However, the Labour party has criticised this as a reannouncement of an unstructured plan. The funds are set to be spent between 2025 and 2032, after the next spending review. This period will also follow the next general election, adding uncertainty to the plans. The government had previously announced that £36bn would be spent on additional transport funding in northern England. The transport department has now shared further details, including potential projects such as new bus and train stations, roads, and mass-transit systems. However, critics argue that the costs to northern England from cancelling the HS2’s northern sections will far exceed the allocated funds.
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