Largan column: 'Budget marks really important turning point for the North'

In his latest column, local MP Robert Largan says Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget "gives me hope that we can make the 2020s a decade for investing in the High Peak".

After being elected, I knew that lots of people were lending their vote to me to stop Jeremy Corbyn. In return, I promised to put the High Peak before party politics. As an independent-minded moderate, this is what I have always tried to do.

The manifesto, on which I was proud to stand, also committed to the British people to level up the country. Too many places like High Peak have been left behind while power and wealth have become concentrated in London and the South East.

Last week’s Budget marks a really important turning point for the North. Large parts of the Treasury are being moved out of Whitehall and up to Darlington. The UK’s first-ever Infrastructure Bank is going to be based in Leeds. This marks an important power and culture shift in our civil service.

High Peak also stands to benefit from the Budget’s boost for the North. High Peak has been identified as one of the top priority areas for the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, and we’ve been given over £100,000 to help craft a local bid for funding.

There are so many ways in which our local infrastructure could be improved with help from the Government. I have made it my business to be a champion for local projects, working with parliamentary colleagues from across the House to bang the drum for High Peak and the North.

Through my role on the Levelling Up Taskforce, supported by research from the think tank Onward, I have also promoted bold new ideas to ensure new investment for the North can deliver real and lasting change.

After helping launch a report on levelling up the tax system, I was pleased to see the Budget include a new ‘super deduction’ to encourage businesses to invest in new equipment and machinery, helping them expand and create more jobs. This could be a real gamechanger for rebalancing the economy away.

Progress is not just being made in Westminster, it’s also happening here on the ground. A contract has been signed to build the Mottram Bypass. Modern new trains have replaced the ancient pacers on the Hope Valley line. Openreach is speeding up the rollout of superfast broadband.

There is a long way to go but this Budget gives me hope that we can make the 2020s a decade for investing in the High Peak.

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