In his latest monthly column, York Outer MP JULIAN STURDY says that transport investment is vital for York and the region, and calls for bold devolution to make improvements a reality.

Few could have predicted that the Scottish Referendum would have had such a profound effect on Yorkshire.

Despite not becoming the new northern frontier, it is clear that the appetite for devolved powers and funding is stronger than ever before. What is less clear however is what these powers should be, and what would York’s position be in a newly empowered Yorkshire?

One thing we can all agree on is that we don’t want an additional layer of bureaucracy between the decision makers and the public. It is also essential that any new investment must not be restricted to the larger cities as our more rural communities must also benefit from their fair share of funding.

If devolution is truly going to work and deliver for the whole region, not just the large cities, transport investment has to be at the very heart of this process.

The ongoing campaign for a new rail station at Haxby represents an important local transport project, which could see major benefits to our economy as well as our communities. The renewal of the rail franchises presents the ideal opportunity to proceed with this scheme.

The station would provide direct access to the rail network for over 23,000 residents within a two mile area, and residents to the north of York would all benefit from faster transport links to Leeds, Manchester and destinations further afield. I have secured a meeting with Transport Ministers to discuss this issue further in the hope that real progress can be made soon.

With colleagues, I have also been championing new rail links to Leeds Bradford Airport from York. It is essential that we support one of the country’s fastest growing airports, which already contributes over £100 million to our economy. Many local residents would find it far more convenient to travel by train to the airport, but are instead forced to travel either by car or go further afield to its larger rival across the Pennines.

Devolved funding has an important role to play in better rail services, but the same might not be true for our roads. The Council has had responsibility for York’s road network for many years and as the Lendal Bridge fiasco demonstrated, it does not have the best track record of decision making.

Anyone who has to endure a daily commute on York’s outer ring road will know just how important it is for it to be upgraded, and yet the problem could be made even worse by the Council’s plans for thousands of new houses around the outskirts of York. Common-sense dictates that new development should only ever take place when major improvements have been made to our already congested road infrastructure, and sadly this has not yet happened.

Last week the Prime Minister announced a ‘roads revolution’ with £15 billion being spent on the largest investment in the road network for over thirty years. Sadly, York’s outer ring road is unlikely to see any benefit because it is the local authority’s responsibility, not the Government’s, to secure funding.

We need to have an honest debate about how much more power we want to hand over to the Council, and whether we should even consider handing back control over the ring-road, so that the necessary improvements can be made once and for all. Ultimately, we need long-term funding solutions for long term gains so that we all benefit.

I have always felt that major transport investment is the key to unlock economic growth in the north. There are several important projects in our area, which, if given the necessary funding, could see York and its surrounding rural hinterland as a key player in this new northern economic powerhouse.

The trick for me is to ensure that we don’t just degrade ourselves to begging for the crumbs from the table of our major northern cities, but be bold in calling for a devolution that we can play a leading role in.