From: ME Wright, Harrogate.

With caution, I enjoyed the optimism and positivity from Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Mayor Tracy Brabin in the decades denied matter of the West Yorkshire Metro (TYP, July 12). "We're going to have spades in the ground by 2028".

Like a stuck record, I point out that in 2004, under a Labour government and at the behest of Leeds City Council, £40m pounds worth of enabling work spades hit City Square and Hunslet. Thanks to Chancellor Alistair Darling, these spades were wasted.

LCC wasted another £70m and ten years 'consulting' on a Trolleybus system which also failed. There have been over 30 years of talking shops, during which time, Leeds and Greater Leeds have gone juddering along in the 1960s, with increasing car chaos.

I still have my souvenir ticket for the Last Tram convoy in 1959. I'm hoping that it might see me on to the first Metro one, but if that takes another 30 years I'd better leave it to the kids.