The Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, Dr Nik Johnson, has called for an upgrade to an Ely junction to be announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget tomorrow (March 15). 

The mayor has also shared a statement on what else he is hoping to hear for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. 

He said Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were a “prime location” for government investment that will unlock “much-needed growth in our national economy.” 

“Ely Area Capacity Enhancements at the rail junction in Ely is an example of this. If government were to approve the £466m investment to increase the capacity at the junction, it is estimated that £2.2bn will be unlocked for the economy,” he said. 

“This would be achieved by allowing a massive 2,900 extra freight services from the port of Felixstove every year to the logistics Golden Triangle in the industrial heartlands of the Midlands and the North, supporting businesses as far North as Scotland. 

“If the government is committed to stimulating growth and supporting international trade, it must commit to investing in Ely junction.” 

Dr Nik said the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough economy sits right at the heart of multiple corridors of national significance across all five of the government’s priority sectors. 

He said to invest there is to invest across those corridors and in the key priority sectors for the UK economy post Brexit. 

“With the right stimulus and targeted support, we can transform our priority areas for levelling up, including a government priority one city area in Peterborough, and some of our more peripheral and left behind communities in the region,” said Dr Nik. 

 “Equally, it would be simply remiss of the Chancellor to not use the Spring Statement opportunity to boost business investment, to end our persistent stagnation and raise productivity, and secure good economic growth, that raises living standards for all.  

He added: “Given the right fiscal stimulus alongside our associated plans for creating the right conditions for expansion of our dynamic and highly concentrated clusters and specialisation, world class research and our universities (including building on our investment in a new university presence in Peterborough), and our emerging sectors, we will transform our priority areas for levelling up.

“These plans for investment in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough reflect targeted investment in all five of the Government’s priority sectors, as announced by the Chancellor, last Autumn.” 

Dr Nik added that the opportunity in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is “too important to the country’s future to be missed”.

“Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is one of the best places in the UK to start and grow a business but the government need to do more to unleash the full potential of the SMEs particularly in priority areas for levelling up such as Peterborough and its hinterlands," he said.

“I would like to see a commitment to investing in SMEs in the upcoming Spring Statement, to support our smaller, community-based businesses and drive local growth.

“I am also calling on the Chancellor to fully embrace devolution and end the current short-term approach to funding our Combined Authority.   

“We know that local leaders are best placed to make decisions about what is right for their area because they truly understand what is needed.

"We also know that decisions are better made when local people and businesses feel empowered to have their say, something local leaders can enable. 

He added: “My message is clear empower local leaders by equipping us all with simplified funding and end the competitive bidding culture that has seen Local Authorities competing with one another instead of collaborate.” 

Dr Nik's full statement on the spring budget can be found at: Mayor calls for Ely Junction Upgrade in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget  - Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk)