THE Chancellor has not let me peep in his red box, nor has he called me up asking for advice. But here are five policies that would make life better – and pay for themselves.

Build Northern Powerhouse Rail

YOU don’t need a PhD in transport engineering to notice the North’s rail network is a mess. A combination of Victorian infrastructure and failed privatisation has bequeathed us slow, expensive, unreliable trains. And it’s dragging our economy down.

Northern Powerhouse Rail is an integrated plan for upgrading old lines, opening new lines, and building new stations between Liverpool and Newcastle, shortening journey times and increasing services.

The price tag is £43bn. But official analysis by Transport for the North shows it would boost the economy by £3.4bn a year. So it’s repaid in 13 years. Much better value than HS2.

It includes the Leamside line between Ferryhill and Tyneside. That also allows us to extend the Metro from South Hylton in Sunderland, through Washington, to rejoin the Metro at Pelaw. That reduces traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

Enforce local content rules as a move towards 100 per cent clean electricity

WHEN wind farms are built in UK waters, they’re supposed to have 60 per cent of their content made in the UK. That’s already the rule, and it breaks no trade treaties.

One industry insider told me a recent contract for £500m was built in the Far East, shipped across the world, and installed off the coast of Scotland because it saved the developer just £1m.

Wind electricity is the cheapest form of power, but we won’t see rapid investment in UK offshore wind manufacturing until companies believe our government will back them. Enforcing the rules will create thousands of jobs without costing a penny.

Devolve more adult education

THE North of Tyne Combined Authority got adult skills devolved in August 2020. That’s training for chefs, welders, computer skills, adult literacy etc., for over 18s. We’ve increased enrolments from 21,885 a year to 32,769 a year. For the same budget. With 96 per cent of people completing their qualification. That’s a 49.7 per cent increase in value for money, and thousands more people able to earn higher wages.

But central government still holds on to some budgets, including under 19 skills, and the apprenticeship levy.

We’re better able to reach people too. We’ve run courses not just in the tech colleges, but in small towns and villages in Northumberland. And we run free, flexible courses for 16 weeks so people can work around existing work patterns or child care.

Process asylum claims quickly

IN December, the Prime Minister said the government was paying £5.5m a day to accommodate asylum seekers in hotels. And they’re hardly staying at Claridge’s.

In 2020, asylum seekers waited on average 440 days for an initial decision. For unaccompanied children, it was 550 days. It’s got worse since then. People fleeing persecution, waiting for over a year to hear their fate, unable to work, living in hotel rooms with deteriorating mental health – it’s neither compassionate nor economically sensible.

Sir Philip Rutnam, former Permanent Secretary at the Home Office, pointed out that productivity has plummeted since asylum staff had their role downgraded in 2014. Paying civil servants less for the same job caused morale to plummet and staff turnover to increase. Ten years ago, each officer processed 13.7 cases per month. Now it’s just four.

While we’re on, Gary Lineker is right: let’s end the anti-immigrant rhetoric, please.

End the strikes

THERE are some big ticket items like restoring local government funding and investment in education that would pay long term dividends.

One in three newly qualified teachers leaves the profession within five years. Increasing pay will increase value for money. The same dynamic is repeated with nurses, doctors, and in fact most of our public services.

Even in the short term, strikes cost a fortune. Rail strikes have cost the UK economy over £1bn. Train operators have been compensated with over £340m of our money.

Rail Minister Huw Merriman admitted to the Transport Select Committee: “It’s actually ended up costing more than would have been the case if it was just settled.” Enough said.

  • Jamie Driscoll (Labour) is the directly elected North of Tyne mayor