I agree with you ayse. Sometimes the divides between big cities (Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, etc) and their hinterlands are huge.
A few months ago, I read a report about Manchester, showing the correlation between house prices and transport links. My experience of central Manchester is that public transport is excellent, but it's not so easily accessible to people living in some of the surrounding towns.
No doubt the government will tick a box that it's done something for the North East and will crow about it in interviews.