• Chancellor more than doubles investment in local transport in England’s city regions, delivering the biggest ever investment over the next five years.
• Working people in Manchester Withington will benefit from £2.5 billion of investment in Greater Manchester’s transport under Labour’s Plan for Change.
• Announcement comes ahead of next week’s Spending Review focused on investment in the Government’s priorities and investing in Britain’s renewal and in what matters to you in the place that you live.

The Chancellor has today announced that working people in Greater Manchester will benefit from a £2.5 billion investment in local transport. This forms part of the biggest ever investment in buses, trams and local train infrastructure in city regions as she promises the renewal of Britian to make all parts of the country better off.

The funding will enable Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to provide the following for our region:

• Major infrastructure projects to unlock new homes, jobs and better connect communities, including growing and transforming the Metrolink tram network, with new tram stops in Bury, Manchester and Oldham and Metrolink extension to Stockport.
• A fully electric Bee Network, with zero emission public transport network across bikes, bus and tram by 2030, including purchase of 1,000 new electric buses.

In a speech in Greater Manchester, Reeves said that “a Britain that is better off cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country,” adding that “result of such thinking has been growth created in too few places, felt by too few people and wide gaps between regions, and between our cities and towns.”

The Labour Government’s spending review next week will take different choices, with investment in a new economic model – driven by investment in all parts of the country, not just a few.

The Chancellor unveiled the first investment announcements from the spending review, with £15.6 billion of funding for local transport projects in England’s city regions – including South Yorkshire, North East, East Midlands and Tees Valley. The funding – a more than double real[1]terms increase in capital spending on local transport in city regions by 2029/30 compared with 2024/25 – will empower local leaders to invest in transport projects that will make a difference to their local area.

Jeff Smith MP, said:

“This is game-changing investment for Greater Manchester and a huge vote of confidence in the Bee Network model.

“It’s the Labour Government delivering on its promise to back local leadership and transform public transport in communities like ours.

“With integrated ticketing, better connections, new tram lines and cleaner electric vehicles, this investment will mean quicker, greener journeys for residents across Manchester Withington and beyond. After years of neglect under the Conservatives, Labour is putting power and funding where it belongs – into the hands of local leaders and the communities they serve.”

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, said:

“Today marks a watershed moment on our journey to improving transport across the North and Midlands – opening up access to jobs, growing the economy and driving up quality of life as we deliver our Plan for Change.

“For too long, people in the North and Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve. With £15.6bn of Government investment, we’re giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns and communities forward, investing in Britain’s renewal so you and your family are better off.”