Liz Truss should bring the HQ of new rail body Great British Railways to York as part of a renewed commitment to levelling up, council leader Keith Aspden says.

York is in a run-off against five other cities - Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster and Newcastle – to be the home to the new rail body, which the Department for Transport says will be the ‘the railway’s new guiding mind’ and ‘the heart of the rail network’.

A public vote closed on August 15, and the Transport Secretary – whoever that is – is expected to make a final decision later this year.

Cllr Aspden called on the new PM to ensure that the new rail HQ came to York.

He also urged her to commit to investing more in transport in the North - and to bringing more civil service jobs to York.

Cllr Aspden said: "York remains at the bottom of central Government spending tables, from education to spending powers per resident.

"Whilst the outgoing Prime Minister had the right soundbites, he didn’t deliver on Levelling Up, where the North of England continues to compete for scraps of funding.

“Liz Truss should set out her Levelling Up objectives that can actually be delivered by the next election. This should include bringing GBR and civil service jobs to York (and) committing to investment in rail and transport in the North.

"We need systematic change that would support the whole region and unlock York and North Yorkshire’s full potential through green jobs, connectivity and business innovation."