00:00This concerning cut to funds of course prompts questions about how much funding major projects
00:06such as the restoration of the Tyne Bridge and the Gateshead flyover will have. Labour
00:11ministers were urged last year to honour the pledge made during Rishi Sunak's premiership,
00:16with local leaders warning that a failure to do so would be completely unacceptable
00:20and inflict significant harm to our economy.
00:26The money was allocated to Durham as a share of the £4.7bn of the local transport fund
00:31in February 2024, however news of the funding cut adds a series of concerns about whether
00:36the Labour government will back up the upgrading of critical infrastructure across the north-east
00:41and deliver on promises to close the north-south divide.
00:45I spoke with locals from County Durham to find out what they thought on these cuts.
00:49I think it's definitely a north-south divide. I'm quite happy with the transport, I use
00:54it a lot, even though I've got a car, I do use the transport a lot and most of the time
00:59it's very good.
01:01Just what you hear and see on the television, they seem as though they achieve more than
01:04what we do, more than that.
01:06In fact I don't travel near Castlebush at all now, but I love coming to Durham, because
01:12I can get the bus in no bother.
01:16I think that on the whole I don't think that's actually bad in Durham, the transport, but
01:23obviously I wouldn't like this to be any worse than it is, and it's certainly a north-south
01:28divide.
01:29Although having said that, there is an investment, but actually as far as transport is concerned,
01:35public transport is concerned, it's actually better in the north than it is in the south
01:40actually.
01:41There's also been fears that upgrades of the Setonburn and Moher farm roundabout on the
01:46A19 could be under similar threat, while the new government have also failed to hand over
01:51the final £6m promised towards the restoration of the Tyne Bridge and the Central Motorway.
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