LEADERS from across the north of England have called on the Government to commit to a "Northern Budget" in order to deliver a boost to the region’s economic fortunes.

The call, which is backed by board members of Transport for the North - who collectively represent more than 15 million people across the North.

They are asking the Government to deliver on commitments previously promised as part of the Northern Powerhouse agenda.

It comes just days after the chancellor announced a fast-tracked spending round for Government departments for the next year.

Northern leaders are calling for a commitment to three core “asks” for the north of England to get the bare essential in better transport infrastructure in the short, medium and long-term.

It includes a commitment to a £7 billion Northern Infrastructure Pipeline, featuring road and rail projects which could commence in the next five years and have the potential to transform connectivity in the short-term.

The “asks” call on the Government to consider both short and long-term commitments to the north, at both this year’s fiscal event and the longer-term review of infrastructure spending now slated for 2020.

It includes:

• Commitment to a £7 billion Northern Infrastructure Pipeline – a list of shovel-ready road and rail projects to be delivered by the mid-2020s,

• Commitment to build the full £39 billion Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) network by 2040,

• Commitment to £1 billion for Transport for the North over the next three years to deliver on its vision, including funding for the development of Northern Powerhouse Rail and other road and rail schemes,

The aims follows a pledge by the Prime Minister to turbo-charge infrastructure by delivering a new high-speed rail line between Manchester and Leeds, and his commitment on the campaign trail to be the leader of his party in July, where he said that Transport for the North were: “making a very, very good case here for £39 billion investment in east-west connections from Liverpool to Manchester, Bradford, Leeds.”

READ > Upcoming rail fare increase slammed by deputy mayor of Greater Manchester

Chief executive of Transport for the North, Barry White, said: “The north is now at the top of the national political agenda, with promises to balance out the UK’s economy and unleash our potential by better connecting our towns and cities.

"We now need a Northern Budget to make both the shovel-ready projects and the ambitious longer-term programmes like Northern Powerhouse Rail a reality.

“Closing the productivity gap between North and South is essential if we’re to compete on a global stage – but the north’s constrained by creaking infrastructure.

“These are the minimum requirements needed to overturn the underinvestment, under different Governments, stretching back decades.

"It’ll ensure the north becomes greater than the sum of its parts and will get the UK firing on all cylinders.

“While the Government is planning for a one-year spending round for its departments against a Brexit backdrop, there is no reason why we can’t see real commitment and recognition of the ambitious pipeline of infrastructure investments the north so badly needs.”

The Government says it is delivering "unprecedented investment" in better transport across the north - spending more than £13bn from 2015-20 – more than any government in history.

A HM Government spokesman said: “As the Prime Minister recently set out, this Government is committed to boosting the north by levelling up our regions, through Northern Powerhouse Rail, giving local leaders greater powers and investing £3.6bn in towns across England.

“We’re already investing over £13bn in improving transport in the north – more than any Government in history – and will set out our plans to build on this in due course.”