Public transport call to Ministers

The 250m New Generation Transport (NGT) scheme is on hold pending the outcome of a review of overall Government spending.

Councillor Chris Greaves, the new chairman of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (WYITA), Metro, said that like all other organisations, Metro and the Integrated Transport Authority faced difficult times as the Government's financial recovery measures take effect.

But he added that investment in job-creating transport schemes would help to grow the local and national economy out of recession.

Coun Greaves said: "Transport schemes such as the planned NGT trolleybus network in Leeds, new rail stations, Castleford Interchange and the new southern entrance at Leeds station will all help contribute to the creation of local jobs.

"Putting these schemes on hold jeopardises substantial amounts of public money that the Department for Transport has encouraged us to spend developing them and also the substantial private sector funding that has been secured for schemes such as Kirkstall Forge station."

Planners at Leeds Council have granted permission for the new railway station, in the Kirkstall Valley, which forms part of a regeneration plan to create over 1,000 homes at the former industrial site, a 56-acre piece of land bordering the A65 Leeds-Ilkley road, the River Aire and the Leeds-Liverpool canal. Coun Greaves said: "We have called for a meeting with Ministers to discuss the spending review's effect on the development of our projects and to stress how the NGT scheme represents value for money in supporting the Leeds City Region's economic recovery and future growth.

"We will also be stressing that there had been a history of underspending on transport in our region from successive governments and that making any cuts less hard-hitting here would be an opportunity for the Government to start redressing that legacy."

"And we will point out that the 4,000 new jobs that will result from the NGT trolleybus network will be created at a fraction of the cost of those that will be created by Crossrail in London."

Coun Greaves echoed the outgoing chairman Councillor Ryk Downes' reaction to last week's budget announcement saying that if the Government planned to give priority to projects that provide a "significant economic return to the country" and that "have the greatest impact on innovation and jobs" he could not see the Government blocking the NGT trolleybus.

The Department for Transport had already acknowledged, he said, what the NGT scheme would achieve, including the creation of 4,000 long-term jobs, and helping to grow the local economy out of recession.

He added that the new southern entrance to Leeds Station had also met Department for Transport requirements and a 4m private sector contribution to the cost of building vital new stations at Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge. Quality Bus Contracts, which would result in the London-style franchising of bus services, were still an aim for the Integrated Transport Authority, said Councillor Greaves despite the potential costs of setting them up.

He said: "We owe it to local people either to secure clear and binding voluntary agreements with the bus operators, which set out the levels of service passengers can expect and the fares they are going to pay, or to proceed to Quality Contracts where we set the standards and the operators bid to run services."