Ryan's Story

Ryan, 32, from Heywood and Middleton North in the North West, dreamed of working in transport infrastructure but found himself blocked by Westminster's spending choices. Despite his qualifications and the region's desperate need for transport investment, Treasury doctrine has concentrated infrastructure spending in London and the South East. The Department for Transport's own analysis reveals per-capita spending in the North West is a fraction of the national average. Engineers and construction workers exist in the region right now, many unemployed. The materials are available. What blocked Ryan wasn't a shortage of skills or resources, but HM Treasury treating public investment like a household budget. This is Ryan's story of how central government funding choices shape individual lives. Produced independently.