Cuts will put back major schemes

YORKSHIRE Forward has confirmed it is awaiting a decision on whether £44m will be cut from its budget as the new Government opted to put a hold on major transport schemes across the region.

Yorkshire Forward admitted that 7,000 jobs would be affected if the cuts are made.

In a further blow to the region, the Government has announced more than £50m of cuts from local authority budgets.

Regeneration and transport schemes are likely to be the most heavily hit when the spending squeeze takes hold, with the Government opting to put the brakes on major transport projects until it completes a comprehensive spending review in the autumn.

Projects hit include improvements to, and openings of, railway stations in West Yorkshire, road improvements, Leeds Trolleybus and York’s park and ride scheme.

A spokeman from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward confimed: “Yorkshire Forward has prepared and presented options to Government which reflect budget cuts of up to £44m, from our current budget of £277m.

“We now await a final decision from Ministers on this and will work with Government and our partners to communicate the decision once made.

“We can confirm that should the full £44m be cut from our budget, approximately 7,000 jobs which would have been created as a result of this funding, would then be at risk.”

Commenting on the transport issues, Metro’s chairman, Coun Ryk Downes, said: “Metro fully understands the Government’s need to put the NGT (New Generation Transport) trolleybus network and other transport projects on hold as it carries out this review as part of its measures to tackle the current economic situation.
 
“However the delay is frustrating when, as the Department for Transport has accepted, NGT alone will help to create 4,000 new jobs locally and generate a £160m per annum boost for the City Region’s economy.
 
“The review process needs to be finessed so that those projects where public and private sector funding has already been committed or, like NGT, their economic benefits have been acknowledged by the DfT, can still be progressed.
 
“Developing transport projects such as the trolleybus network is already a lengthy and complicated process so we hope that George Osborne will stick to his pre-election vow to provide funding for NGT, and will support other key projects in the pipeline such as Castleford Interchange, new rail stations at Kirkstall, Apperley Bridge and Low Moor and the new southern entrance at Leeds station.
 
 “This would be an opportunity for the new Government to end a legacy of transport underspending in our region by ensuring the cuts are less hard-hitting here than in other areas, where per capita spending on transport schemes has been much higher.”