Alec last week spoke alongside fellow Leeds MP Greg Mulholland (Liberal Democrat) and local Councillor Ryan Stephenson at a cross-party event to drum up support for a rapid transit system to serve Leeds and outlying areas.
Manufacturers, operators, engineers and promoters of other tram systems came together at the special event, organised by Light Rail (UK), and presented plans and the economic case for light rail, as well as highlighting advances in technology for both trams and track.
The summit demonstrated that light rail for Leeds is realistic and affordable, and that a project could be started with the £250 million of public funding on the table, supplemented by private investment, with a number of proposals put forward.
Alec agreed with the criticism many of the experts levelled at Leeds City Council for declining to invest the recent grant of £173 million from the Government into a light rail system. Alec argued: “For decades Leeds City Council has talked itself in and out of opportunities for major transport investment in the city. The saga of NGT was just another example, nevertheless I was pleased to have been able to work with colleagues in Parliament to secure a commitment to invest £173 million for transport improvements in Leeds. Councillors running the City therefore had an opportunity to use this money as a mechanism to attracting further investment and finally getting an integrated transport system for Leeds’ city centre and the outlying areas. Light rail or tram/train would provide a solution to the city’s transport congestion, whilst bringing Leeds up to speed with all other major cities in Europe. Instead, a lack of vision from Councillors has resulted in a half-baked plan that fails to exploit the £173 million government investment in Leeds”.
Cllr Ryan Stephenson, who represents the Harewood ward within Elmet & Rothwell constituency, added “The planned regeneration scheme at South Bank Leeds, twinned with the need to increase international trade, provides a confluence of opportunity for Leeds. If planned properly, Leeds City Council could put the city on the map as a showcase for international trade in the North with a fully integrated transport system feeding off the new multi-million pound HS2 station. If Leeds is to convince international investors to relocate and create new jobs and trade opportunities in the city then the Council must recognise that a rapid transit system, utilising light rail, would be the engine for growth that our city is crying out for. Anything less than a raid transit system is a missed opportunity by Leeds City Council and it should commission a feasibility study with immediate effect.”