Londoners can reach key services faster than anywhere in England – and journey times are even faster in Haringey

Travellers in London can reach key services faster than anywhere else in England via public transport or on foot, figures show.

In its recently published Levelling Up white paper, the Government pledged to bring public transport connectivity across the country in line with London standards by 2030.

But campaigners calling for more funding to improve access to bus and rail services say recent cuts mean the Government is giving mixed messages over its commitment to levelling up.

Each year, the Department for Transport calculates journey times from neighbourhoods across England to eight local services by walking or via public transport.

DfT figures show journey times across London to these services, which include large workplaces, secondary schools, hospitals, food shops and town centres, averaged around 12 minutes in 2019 – the latest data available.

And the average journey time to the same key services for Haringey residents was even faster at 11 minutes.

The figures show it took it takes Londoners an average of 27 minutes to reach their closest hospital on foot or by public transport, 13 to get to a secondary school, six to get to a food shop and seven minutes to get to work in 2019.

In Haringey it took 27 minutes to get to hospital on average, 12 to reach a secondary school, six to a food store and seven minutes to get to the nearest large employment centre.

And in comparison, those in the South West – where journey times are slowest – face travelling almost an hour to hospital on average, around 22 minutes to a secondary school, more than ten minutes to a food shop and 14 minutes to work.

However, some differences in journey times – especially between rural and urban areas – are to be expected, due to variations in population numbers and ensuing demand for services.

Paul Tuohy, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, said the figures showed there is a "long way to go" in ensuring everyone can access the places they need to go by public transport.

He said good, affordable public transport is key to creating social and economic equality, adding: "Warm words will not be enough.

"There has to be the funding available to introduce services where there currently aren't any, and improve services where they aren't good enough."

A DfT spokesman said the Government is committed to levelling up all modes of transport and driving up standards across the UK.

He added: “Our £96 billion Integrated Rail Plan is boosting train travel in the North, we’re investing £5.7 billion to improve city links, £3 billion to build greener and more reliable bus services, and £4.8 billion through the Levelling Up Fund for vital services and infrastructure.”