£1.4bn programme of transport improvements announced

ROAD improvements, a new junction on the M62, rail line upgrades and increased opportunities for park and ride at more accessible stations are among schemes to be undertaken thanks to a £1.4bn programme of transport improvements for West Yorkshire and York.

Under the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund, more than 30 projects are scheduled for completion by 2021 with a further six, including a second NGT Line to the Aire Valley between Leeds and Wakefield, scheduled for delivery by 2025.

All of the schemes in the programme have been devised and assessed for impact on unlocking economic benefits in terms of creating GVA created, employment and housing growth across West Yorkshire and York. These objectives are in line with the Strategic Economic Plan drawn up by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and adopted by the Combined Authority.

As part of the Growth Deal settlement announced in July, West Yorkshire and York secured a unique 20-year settlement of £30m per year to support the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund. This will deliver a further £420m in government funding from 2021-22 to 2034-35.

A number of West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund projects are already progressing including Harrogate Road New Line in Bradford, Wakefield Eastern Relief Road and York Outer Ring Road, Pontefract Northern Link Road (on-site).

Combined Authority chair, councillor Peter Box said: “This vital programme of transport development focuses on delivering benefits which transcend district boundaries. They will improve businesses to business and employees to businesses links, unlock areas for potential commercial and housing development and give companies and individuals better access to the strategic national transport network.

“Establishing the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has made it possible for us to develop initiatives like this through which we can overcome the previous competitive environment forced on us by Whitehall where we have had to compete for developments rather than being able to take this wider inclusive approach designed to achieve the wider benefit.”

Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership chair, Roger Marsh, added: “Developing a connected City Region with the 21st Century infrastructure to support, is a core part of our Strategic Economic Plan to grow the economy. This investment is vital if we are to achieve our goal of becoming a net contributor to the public purse, as it enables businesses and residents to connect to people, places and markets more efficiently and has the potential to create an extra 20,000 jobs in the City Region.

“This investment supports the LEP ambition of transformational growth for the City Region and will ensure we are ready to maximise the benefits of HS2 and HS3.  I look forward to continuing the partnership working with the Combined Authority to ensure that the benefit of this investment is felt across the entire Leeds City Region.”

Combined Authority Transport Committee chair, councillor James Lewis, said when the City Deal was signed, the transport funding was conditional on raising finance locally through the levy. “This won’t be easy to find given the substantial cuts facing us locally,” he said.  “However, if we want to meet the ambitious objectives we set out when we established the Combined Authority, we also need to be prepared to take the difficult decision required to achieve them.”

Council leaders from across the region have welcomed the news.