A £6 million Government funding commitment for the restoration of the Tyne Bridge remains under review, Whitehall officials have confirmed.
Major uncertainty continues over whether the final pot of promised cash to pay for the North East icon’s much-needed repairs will be delivered or not.
City leaders had been awaiting clarity in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget on Wednesday over whether or not Labour will stick to a pledge made by former Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a year ago, when he announced an uplift in funding for the bridge’s refurbishment following the decision to scrap HS2’s northern leg.
One major North East transport project was officially axed on Wednesday, with the “unfunded and unaffordable” dualling of the A1 in Northumberland cancelled as Labour seeks to cut some spending amid what it claims is a £22 billion black hole in the public finances.
But there was no mention of the Tyne Bridge money in the Budget and the Department for Transport (DfT) has now confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the project remains under review.
Greg Stone, a Liberal Democrat opposition councillor in the city, warned failure to deliver the final £6.2 million could risk the grade II listed crossing’s renovation work not being completed in time for its centenary celebrations in October 2028.
Fearing cash-strapped North East councils could struggle to make up any financial shortfall, he said: “The failure to commit to finding the missing money to complete the Tyne Bridge renovation works is an oversight which has serious implications for getting the job done in time for the 100th anniversary and will only add to the financial headaches at Newcastle and Gateshead councils.”
The Government has provided an initial £35.2 million towards the overall £41.4 million cost of fixing up both the Tyne Bridge and a section of the Central Motorway. Work started in April of this year.
It was originally expected Newcastle and Gateshead councils would have to foot the bill for the remainder of the project, before Mr Sunak’s announcement last October that the Government would increase its contribution from 85% to 100% of the costs.
On Thursday, the DfT again directed the LDRS to a statement made by Labour transport secretary Louise Haigh this summer in which she announced a review of the department’s spending in light of an alleged £2.9 billion of “unfunded transport commitments” made by the Conservatives.
Ms Haigh said in July: “Communities up and down the country have been given hope for new transport infrastructure, with no plans or funds to deliver them. This Government will not make that mistake. This Government will rebuild our economic foundations whilst restoring transparency and public trust.
“In recent weeks, the gap between promised schemes and the money available to deliver them has been made clear to me. There has been a lack of openness with the public about the status of schemes – some of which were cancelled or paused by the previous government, without proper communication to the public.”
This week, the first repaired and repainted sections of the bridge have been unveiled to the public as scaffolding begins to come down around its Gateshead tower.
The vast maintenance project, the first of its kind of the Tyne Bridge in more than 20 years, will then move across to the Newcastle tower before finally reaching the main bridge deck and its famous arch.
Council bosses say the scheme currently remains on schedule to be completed by summer 2028.
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “The Department for Transport is conducting a review of all transport spending commitments by the previous government, who had proposed an uplift in the government contribution from 85% to 100%, of the original costs identified in the outline business case. This equates to a further £6m for the restoration of the Tyne Bridge and upgrade to the central motorway.
“We await confirmation of the funding from the DfT and in the meantime progress continues on this exciting project.”
