Metro Mayors in plea to government as transport networks face ‘mothballing’

The region’s metro mayors have outlined a path to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – but warned they both need urgent Government help to stop key transport services grinding to a halt.

In an online press conference this afternoon, Greater Manchester Metro Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram offered a combined overview of the problems facing the wider region, with public transport the most pressing matter.

Andy Burnham warned that unless the Government came to the region’s aid, the Metrolink service may have to be mothballed.

He said monthly revenues of around £6m are now well below £1m, due to the dramatic fall in passenger numbers because of the social distancing measures introduced to suppress the spread of the virus.

Both Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region are maintaining reduced rail services for the benefit of key essential workers who need public transport to reach work.

But Mr Burnham said: “We are losing millions of pounds every month trying to run public transport in these circumstances and if there’s no deal with government we would face a decision to mothball the Metrolink system.

“On the Metrolink we get £6m a month, now we’re down to well below £1m.

“We can’t lose £5m a month. The Government needs to help us. We’re talking about a deal in days, not weeks.”

Mr Rotheram said the Merseyrail system faces similar issues: “On public transport we need help.

“We’re not getting support locally on Merseyrail. We’re just about keeping our heads above water and keeping Merseyrail services going.

“We’re losing £1.2m a week in the combined authority area. We will need government to address some of these problems.”

He said passenger levels are 83% down on normal numbers for this time of year.

“Our government has helped nationally on rail, we need a local settlement. We are determined to keep services running. We reduced services so we can help a core going for essential workers.”

The mayors called for an intra-city public transport service as the country begins to plan to emerge from lockdown, which would also require central government support.

Mr Burnham said: “We will have to run with social distancing, probably for months. We need support.

“I appeal to government to work with us.

Metrolink trams

“If we are to receive a small amount of support we would have to pare back services. We should be building back up, not mothballing.”

Both mayors insisted, however, that some of the positives to emerge through the lockdown should be incorporated into any plan to lift restrictions.

Andy Burnham said: “We should capture the benefits of the time we have been living through.

“Let’s keep the clean air. Help businesses change their vans to electric vehicles. Keep people exercising, prioritise cyclists and pedestrians over the car and keep the benefits of home working.

“These are things the country should do anyway. Let’s get on with them now.”

He suggested areas that could benefit the environment, and help mitigate job losses as a result of lockdown by creating new industries, such as retro-fitting properties with energy-efficient technologies.

“Why not get on with building that industry right now?” he said.

“It could create thousands of jobs in cities and towns. We need to do this right now.

“It’s all about building back fairer. Let’s make employment fairer.”

Steve Rotheram also called for a furlough scheme for apprentices, many of whom have been made redundant over the past month.

Turning towards planning for ways to emerge from the lockdown, Andy Burnham said it will be a “gargantuan task” for the Government, but he said metro mayors and the regions need to be involved to make the process easier, and quicker.

“I support what the Government is doing. We have a gargantuan task ahead of us. Every part of society and the country will need to pull together. We should use the time well and we need to plan for recovery.”

He said: “There are two principles. First, unlike the response phase, recovery needs to be locally led – mayors, local authorities and councils.

“We need to build the recovery from the bottom up because it will be different in different parts of the country. This is a big positive for us to help the Government, to help with the national effort.

“Secondly, there can’t be a return to business as usual. We have to try and build back better, cleaner, safer, stronger, and, crucially, fairer.”

He suggested this could be achieved by allowing the regions more say in national planning initiatives, starting with the Downing Street COBRA meetings.

“We need a seat at the table. There has been no seat at the table for the English regions and that should be corrected and corrected now.

“Not every mayor, but perhaps one mayor to speak for us all. English regions need to be represented on COBRA.”

Steve Rotheram during the online press conference

He also pushed forward a proposal by the TUC for a National Recovery Council.

He said this could be chaired by the Prime Minister or a senior minister, but also involve trade unions, too: “There’s a spirit of national unity around that hasn’t been evident before. The council needs to be across all sectors, geographies, and political parties.”

And he warned against lifting the national lockdown on a regional basis.

“We should rule out a region by region phased release from lockdown.

“That would be unfair and undermine the sense of national unity. We need to build.”

He put forward a sector by sector approach, instead.

“It would be the worst of all worlds to have a region by region release. It would be hard to sustain the discipline of lockdown and wouldn’t build a sense of national unity.

“Recovery needs to be planned. If there’s one thing we need to learn from the first phase of this it is you can’t plan enough.”

And he warned against an unwillingness on government’s part to fund the recovery: “If there’s more austerity or cuts, I don’t know where that would lead us. We need to do the opposite.”

He added: “I hope the Government takes what me and Steve are saying today in the right spirit.

“It is important to get the national and local balance right. I hope they will engage us.”

Steve Rotheram echoed his call, saying: “Government should work with mayors and leaders of the core cities. Ask us, because we know our areas best.”