Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 22 November (HL3081), what criteria were used to identify the major cities of the north as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and Hull; and whether that identification was made by Transport for the North, the Department for Transport, or some other body.

The six cities voluntarily came together as the ‘One North’ group in response to Sir David Higgins’ March 2014 report ‘HS2 Plus’, which recommended that proposals be developed for improved connections between the North’s cities and largest international gateways (ports and airports) to complement High Speed 2.

Subsequently the Transport for the North Partnership Board was established with representation for every local transport authority and Local Enterprise Partnership in the north of England. This body is leading the Northern Powerhouse Rail development programme with the Department for Transport.