Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to progress made on the construction of the Elizabeth Line, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of additional investment in areas of Romford beyond the town centre.

Romford will benefit from the progress being made in the delivery of the Elizabeth Line. The Elizabeth Line comes under the remit of the Mayor of London and Transport for London is responsible for delivering the project.

The Elizabeth Line is already delivering significant benefits right across the UK, including strong UK-based supply chain, new trains and services to Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield. The Elizabeth line will transform the rail network in London, carrying up to 200 million passengers a year, increasing the capacity of the network by 10%, reducing overcrowding, and helping deliver £42 billion of investment.

On the August 2020, Crossrail Limited announced that the central section of the railway will open in the first half of 2022 with initial services between Abbey Wood and Paddington Elizabeth line stations. The Elizabeth line is in the complex final stages of delivery.

Following the opening of the central section, full services across the Elizabeth line from Reading and Heathrow in the west and between Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east, will be introduced.

The London Borough of Havering is also benefitting from £13.2 million from the Local Growth Fund (delivered through the Local Economic Action Partnership); two lots of £231,057 from the Reopening High Streets Safely and Welcome Back Funds; and £3.8 million from the Community Renewal Fund.

In addition to funding already secured, more of the Government’s £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund is to be made available over the coming months, with round two bidding set to open in Spring 2022. Whilst Havering was unsuccessful in securing a share of the £1.7 billion round one funding, we encourage unsuccessful bidders to reapply.

Today, the Government published the Levelling Up White Paper that builds on existing action being taken across Government, setting out a new policy regime that will drive change for years to come.