A £15bn road building package is a Government policy businesses in the North-East can really get behind.

The UK roads network is the country’s business backbone. Good roads help attract more inward investment and support economic growth. They connect firms with customers and suppliers, facilitate the movement of goods and materials, and keep the economy ticking over.

So far, the Government’s best efforts to attract more private investment for the roads network have met with modest success. The building programme is still chiefly funded from the public purse and, in an age of austerity, expensive roads projects have faced tough competition from other areas of Government.

Good roads are an investment in Britain’s future.

A 2012 survey by the CBI reported that eight out of ten businesses cited the quality and reliability of transport infrastructure as having a significant bearing on their inward investment decisions.

Building and upgrading roads takes years. Sadly, governments are more interested in short-term gains to boost their popularity. Long-term projects take a back seat to ephemeral vote-winners.

That’s why we congratulate the Government for announcing its medium-term road plans today.

The benefits will not be felt overnight, because much of the work will not be finished before the end of the next parliament, but we now have a firm funding agenda and a list of road upgrades that it will pay for.

Of course, critics say other Government departments will suffer to fund the new roads programme and jam today means cuts tomorrow. The timing – so close to a General Election – is certainly no coincidence.

But we believe a well-funded and efficient roads network will deliver for the North-East and the country. By speeding up delivery times, opening up new markets and extending labour catchment areas, upgraded roads will help our region maximise its economic potential – and that is something we should all get behind.