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Business leaders, politicians and transport chiefs will meet this week to discuss plans to cope with the £6.5m government funding despite the region asking for £10m for new rail and road plans.

Transport for the North (TfN) will meet in Leeds on Wednesday to discuss a new structure following funding cuts and changes to the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) programme.

It will look at the prioritisation of its activities after the Department for Transport offered £6.5m for northern schemes for the coming year, which meant no new cross Pennine rail route and the curtailing of HS2 in Yorkshire, and will also consider TfN’s role as co-sponsor on NPR.

Members of the region’s 20 Local Transport Authorities and 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships, will be asked to approve an interim budget and business plan covering the first quarter of the new financial year.

Pictured at last year's summit of Transport fir the North are, left to right Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram, Mayor West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, Acting Chair Councillor Louise Gittins Cheshire West and Chester and Mayor of South Yorkshire Dan Jarvis. PA Photo.
Photo credit: Danny Lawson/PA Wire — Pictured at last year's summit of Transport fir the North are, left to right Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram, Mayor West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, Acting Chair Councillor Louise Gittins Cheshire West and Chester and Mayor of South Yorkshire Dan Jarvis. PA Photo. Photo credit: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

TfN aims to continue to provide strategic advice and direction to the programme in line with its core statutory function, and will also sit with DfT on a new joint-sponsor board to monitor and advise on objectives and progress, and engage with key stakeholders.

It said priorities for the year ahead include taking forward work to update the North’s Independent Economic Review and the revision of the Strategic Transport Plan.

Also on the agenda are:

Approval of the TfN Freight and Logistics Strategy,

The objectives for a Northern Digital Mobility Strategy to aid joined-up approaches to digital and ticketing innovation,

Update from the Rail North Committee on rail reform and operational updates,

Work to date on the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure evidence base to help shape a framework for charging infrastructure requirements.

North transport bosses to discuss way forward after Government shortfall on plan