On Monday, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to reveal how more than £2bn of reallocated HS2 funding will go to local authorities across the North, including in North Yorkshire and County Durham, to spend on local transport improvements.

Local authorities will be able to choose which local transport improvements to invest in, including refurbishing bus stations, filling potholes and installing more electric vehicle charging points.

This will be part of more than £4bn due to be announced for local councils across the North and Midlands and will be available from 2025, giving local authorities time to draw up plans and be ready to go when the funding arrives.  

This money will go to local authorities covering rural communities, towns and smaller cities. The Government has already announced an increase in funding for city regions, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.