THE Government’s planned transport spending for London is seven times higher per person than it is for York, according to a report.

Think tank IPPR North's research claims the capital will receive £3,636 in transport spending per person, while Yorkshire and Humber would get £511.

Last month Prime Minister Boris Johnson threw his support behind the Power Up the North campaign - an initiative launched by The Press and more than 20 other newspapers and websites to challenge Britain’s main political parties to commit to policies to turbo-charge the North’s economy.

City of York Council leader Keith Aspden has called for “significantly increased investment in our region" to "secure much needed improvements in the North’s transport infrastructure” following the news.

He said: “It is simply unacceptable that cities such as ours and the Yorkshire region fare the worst for planned spending per person, particularly when you take into account the work needed to repair our highways and modernise our railways.

“The figures demonstrate the widening gap in funding for transport in our region and the inexcusable disparity of investment when compared to London and the South.”

York Central MP Rachael Maskell, shadow rail minister, added: “Connecting the cities with the towns across the North can truly unleash our economic potential.If we are serious about communities outside London – the further north we head, the less spending there seems to be on our railway, which is reflected by the number of people who are able to use it – it is crucial that we rebalance our public transport spending so that the regions get a fair deal.

“The Northern Powerhouse and the links between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull and Newcastle present a real opportunity to boost the economy of the North.

“All we can see so far is a Northern Powercut, as the Government has neglected the North, with cancellation of rail electrification projects and downgrades of downgrades to the network.”

A Government spokeswoman said: “We do not recognise these misleading figures – we’re spending more on transport per person in the North than anywhere else.

“We are committed to reversing decades of under-investment in northern transport including providing a record £13 billion by 2020 to improve transport networks in the North.”

She added that the Prime Minister wants to “drive growth” across the region and that £3.6 billion has been invested across England.