Yorkshire left in slow laneby transport funding doubts

THE future of important Yorkshire transport schemes will remain in doubt for another year after officials were told to slash costs or stump up more money locally if they want the green light.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond disappointed officials across the region by saying that at least 22 schemes – including trolleybuses in Leeds, the Bedale bypass in North Yorkshire and road improvements in Hull – will have to compete against each other for funding from a 600m pot of cash, leaving some projects destined to miss out.

A senior councillor complained of “another year of uncertainty and delay” as Mr Hammond said schemes that were scaled back, had costs slashed or had more funding found locally would have the best chance of going ahead.

But there was some positive news as Mr Hammond confirmed that motorists would be able to use the hard shoulder on another two stretches of motorway in the region to ease congestion, a move which will please businesses and commuters.

Despite cuts to the transport budget, hard-shoulder running will be extended to stretches of the M1 between junctions 39 and 42 and junctions 32 to 35A. The Government had already announced plans to extend the scheme, which is cheaper than traditional widening of the motorway, on a stretch south of Sheffield and on five junctions of the M62.

Mr Hammond said he was giving the green light to 300m of schemes yesterday as he hailed transport as “vital to securing the UK’s long term prosperity” but admitted there had been “tough choices”.

Sixteen major schemes in the region are facing an uncertain future after Mr Hammond announced a 600m fund for projects until 2015. It marks a significant cut compared with the 476m pledged to the region by 2015 under Labour’s system of Regional Funding Allocations – although that also would likely have faced major cuts.

Nine of the schemes – including the 200m Leeds trolleybus project, extra vehicles for Sheffield Supertram, park and ride in York, the Bedale-Aiskew-Leeming Bar bypass in North Yorkshire and a new station at Kirkstall Forge to the west of Leeds – are among 22 projects in a “development group” where officials have been asked to cut costs and consider raising more of the money locally before submitting a final bid.

Five other schemes in the region will be analysed further by the Government before considering whether they can be put in the same group. They include transport improvements in Castleford, upgrades to the A164 between the Humber Bridge and Beverley and bus improvements in South Yorkshire.

Meanwhile upgrades on the A63 Castle Street in Hull may go ahead after 2015, and improvements on the A160 access to the port of Immingham have been delayed until the same period, a decision which business leaders branded “baffling”.

Urging officials to cut costs or stump up more cash themselves, Mr Hammond said: “Those that can make the best case are the most likely to receive funding.”

But Leeds City Council’s executive board member for city development, Richard Lewis, warned that “another bidding round and another year of uncertainty and delay” would mean extra costs in developing the trolleybus proposals, which have already been cut back by 35m.

The policy executive for Hull and Humber Chambers of Commerce, Richard Kendall, said: “The A160 is a regionally and nationally important infrastructure project, recognised as one of the top two priorities in Yorkshire and Humber. The decision to delay it is baffling.”