Budget backs Stratford International rail plans

The government has pledged to work with London's City Hall to enable international rail services to stop at Stratford International station for the first time.

The commitment, set out in Budget documents, will see ministers work with the Greater London Authority (GLA) to make the move possible.

Lord Sadiq Khan said he was "delighted" after lobbying for cross-Channel services at the station "for many years", and said the wider Budget would help support projects including the Bakerloo line extension and West London Orbital.

However, Conservative London Assembly member Susan Hall said the announcements lacked firm funding commitments, arguing there were "no pound signs in front of London".

Lord Khan described the Budget as the best he had seen since becoming mayor, saying it showed the government understood "the importance of London".

"I think investing in transport is so important. So we've got the green light today for a Bakerloo line extension, the green light today for us to open the West London Orbital, the green light today for Stratford International to be truly Stratford International," he said.

Despite opening in 2009 and being purpose-built to handle international services, Stratford International has never hosted passenger trains to continental Europe.

It is currently served by Southeastern High Speed and Docklands Light Railway services.

The plans are expected to require the installation of border control, security screening and passenger processing facilities needed for cross-Channel services, a project previously estimated to cost about £20m.

The commitment was included in Budget documents published after Chancellor John Healey delivered Wednesday's Budget speech.

Budget documents also say the government will support efforts to address capacity constraints at Stratford station and back development in the surrounding area through a Business Rates Retention zone, subject to approval of a business case.

Lord Khan said the announcement formed part of what he described as a "new devolution revolution", adding that the government had taken "significant steps" to hand new powers and funding to London.

The Budget sets out a "roadmap to fiscal devolution", with ministers aiming for 100% of business rates to be retained locally by the end of the decade.

From next year, 20% of business rates revenue will be allocated to mayors, while a share of income tax receipts will be devolved from 2028.

Plans also include new powers for mayors and some councils to introduce an overnight visitor levy (often called a "tourist tax") from 2028.

Lord Khan said the package represented the "largest devolution of powers to London seen in a generation".

The government will also change the law to allow the mayor of London to create a replacement for the current Elizabeth line Business Rate Supplement, which is due to end in 2041.

Lord Khan said: "By giving London the ability to keep more of the money we raise, we can invest billions of pounds more in our future, helping to finally unlock transformational infrastructure projects such as the West London Orbital, the Bakerloo line extension and the Euston knowledge quarter project, supporting tens of thousands of new homes, jobs and economic growth."

The Budget also includes plans to work with the GLA and other authorities on bus orders, with the aim of getting better value for money and supporting British manufacturers.

It also backed plans for a Business Rates Retention Zone at Euston, allowing future growth in local business rates to help pay for Tube upgrades and wider redevelopment around the station, subject to approval.

Lord Khan praised other plans, such as "major new investment to tackle rough sleeping, to build more affordable homes and support for young Londoners to access vital skills training and employment opportunities".

While the Budget backs work on the projects, many remain subject to further development and funding agreements before construction can begin, despite Lord Khan describing them as being "green lit".

Hall was critical of the Budget, describing it as "beige" and arguing there was little in it specifically for London.

She said measures announced for the capital were "more sort of kicking into the long grass" and that ministers would merely "work together with the mayor to try and get funding" for projects such as the Bakerloo line extension.

Hall added: "It was all wishy-washy. It was all we'll help with you borrowing money for things, but it was no pound signs in front of London."

Raising concerns about crime, Hall said: "The police weren't mentioned at all. We've lost over 3,000 frontline officers in the past few years.

"We need more money going into policing, into the Metropolitan Police Service."

She said much of the Budget amounted to "tinkering around the edges" and argued it was difficult to be confident projects would go ahead because "there's no timelines on anything" and "no money given to anything".

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