Investment boosts for the region’s transport, housing and scientific research unveiled by the chancellor are further signs that decades of underinvestment is being redressed, it was claimed on Wednesday.
In an autumn statement largely free of the headline-grabbing surprise announcements deployed by his predecessors, Philip Hammond provided cause for optimism in the East of England in contrast to slashed national growth forecasts.
As well as confirming a freeze in fuel duty, a rise in the so-called National Living Wage and measures to ease cuts to Universal Credit, he announced £100 million of funding had been brought forward for a project to re-establish the rail link between Oxford and Cambridge.
The move is designed to accelerate construction of the western section of the East West Rail line. It would mean direct services between Oxford and Ipswich, which is at the end of the line. Milton Keynes and Bedford would also be on the line.
Ipswich MP Ben Gummer said: “I cannot overstate the importance of this railway link, because it changes the geography of Britain. Once it is in place, it will have as a profound an impact on our area as HS2 will have for the north and south.
“It links major centres of innovation and growth and prosperity, and it puts Ipswich in that network. In terms of attracting investors, I can say ‘not only have we got modern, fast trains to London, but we have also got a modern, fast train link to Cambridge and Oxford.
“With other projects, this now means that we are effectively catching up on 30, 40, 50 years worth of underinvestment in infrastructure.
“We have never had, even in Victorian times, the investment, but other parts of the country have. The mindset is changing and people Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire want to grasp the future with both hands. At the end of it, Ipswich is going to be one of the best connected towns not only in the country, but in Europe.”
Some £450 million will also be spent on trialling railway digital signalling technology, Mr Hammond said.
Colchester MP Will Quince, who sits on the government’s transport select committee, said he will send a letter signed by at least nine regional MPs to the Department for Transport asking for the scheme to be piloted on the region’s main line.
“This would be the final piece of the jigsaw,” he said. “We have got new trains that are just about to be specced up and we are a line at capacity, so the case is very strong.
“You can run trains closer together and therefore increase capacity by 40%. A lot of the failure on our line is around signalling. It is hugely frustrating, so it is critical we get this.”
Meanwhile, Mr Hammond said £1.4 billion will be invested in delivering an additional 40,000 affordable homes nationwide, including the East of England.
David Ellesmere, leader of the Labour-run Ipswich Borough Council, said: “Ipswich will certainly be trying to get its share.
“House prices in Ipswich rose 13% over the last year putting the dream of home ownership even further out of reach for many first-time buyers.”
Mr Hammond also announced a £1.1 billion investment in English local transport, including pinch points on strategic roads, digital signalling on railways and low emission and autonomous vehicles.
Kevin Bentley, deputy leader at Essex County Council, said: “While of course we await the detail that comes over the next few weeks, this will likely be a fantastic boost for the county.”
The chancellor also announced a new National Productivity Investment Fund to provide £23 billion of additional spending, including a science and innovation audit for the East of England – one of eight areas chosen in the second wave of the scheme.
Chris Starkie, managing director of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “This audit will better inform central government of our region’s strength for potential future funding streams, and assist with foreign direct investment.
“It’s a huge vote of confidence in the world class work in life sciences, agri-tech, advanced engineering and manufacturing and information and communications technology already taking place here.”
Mr Hammond also announced a £1 billion package to invest in full-fibre broadband and trialling 5G networks, with investment to support the private sector to roll out more full-fibre broadband by 2020/21.
Both Suffolk and Essex county councils have pledged to provide superfast broadband to at least 95% of residents by the end of 2019.
South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge said: “There has been massive progress on getting more premises linked up to superfast broadband. However, for those that haven’t yet, it is a major frustration, and if we want the rural economy to be fully competitive, we need access to full-fibre broadband, so I very much welcome the announcement and hope we will see the benefits of it as soon as possible in Suffolk.
“Broadband is probably the most common consistency issue that gets raised, and mobile signal is important as well, so the fact that this will incorporate the trialling of the 5g is also very important.”
West Suffolk MP Matthew Hancock, the minister of state for digital and culture, said: “By backing businesses, investing in our transport networks and securing world-class digital infrastructure, we will keep Britain moving and support our economy for the future.”
Bernard Jenkin, MP for Harwich and North Essex, met with Mr Hancock yesterday following the autumn statement.
Mr Jenkin said: “There will be further announcements about exactly how this money is to be spent but he assured me that rural broadband will be a major beneficiary of this.
“(Superfast broadband) is very patchy. People who live too far away from the cabinet and depend upon copper wires have very (poor signal). Farmers trying to diversify, villages where people expect to be able to run their consultancy or design business – it is extremely difficult and very damaging.
“As more and more people work from home, more and more people are dependant upon superfast broadband, and that is not 2MB.”
Published by the East Anglian Daily Times.
