£1bn transport fund for region set to boost drive to create jobs

Leaders of the five West Yorkshire councils have joined together with York to devise a plan for a large funding pot to invest in transport.

The aim is to create more than 20,000 jobs by 2026 and make it easier for people in poorer neighbourhoods to get to where the jobs are.

Council leaders are promising to forget council boundaries and focus on the region as a whole.

The creation of the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund is one of the elements of the City Deal announced last month which will see unprecedented local decision-making and spending powers passed down from central government.

It aims to end the “cap in hand” approach where central government decides what regional schemes to fund.

Sixty schemes costing around £4bn are currently on a “wish list” but it will need to be pared down to be affordable.

The schemes will be evaluated to see what benefits they will bring before they are given the go-ahead.

Ideas on the drawing board include:

Bus frequency increases and fare reductions.

More parking at railway stations.

Better connections to Leeds Bradford Airport, including a tram scheme or a new link road.

Improved access to M62 from Huddersfield and Brighouse.

Road improvements around Cooper Bridge, Huddersfield and the A644/A62/M62.

Expansion of the Leeds trolleybus scheme into Aire valley.

Wakefield eastern bypass and park-and-ride scheme.

Glasshougton southern link road.

Pontefract northern bypass.

Other improvements could be made to public transport, cycling and walking facilities.

Leeds Council leader Keith Wakefield said the new fund would give local councils the chance to make long-term improvements to transport and would help create jobs.

“Improving our transport infrastructure is at the heart of that, as it is absolutely vital to drive the local economy which will in turn provide jobs and regeneration.”

Councillors in Bradford have also been discussing what the money could be spent on.

Possible improvements could be made to Bradford Interchange and Foster Square railway station, and to the Caldervale Line.

Money could also be spent relieving congestion in Tong Street and the Shipley/Bradford corridor and in Keighley in Hard Ings Road and in the town centre.

A council spokesman said: “A key aspect of the programme is to provide people living in more deprived areas with better transport to access jobs.”

A report to the council’s executive committee said the fund had the potential to help create between 25,000 and 30,000 new jobs. Councillor Val Slater, Bradford Council’s executive member for housing, planning and transport, said: “Significant work has already been undertaken on the plan and all the authorities involved now need to commit to the next stages to ensure that the development of the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund is kept on track ready for establishment in 2013.

“The development of an integrated and progressive transport system for the region is the key to increasing economic prosperity and sustainability.

“There will also be benefits of faster journeys, decongestion and improved air quality for the region.”

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