Latest tram decisions show that government is failing the regions on transport: MULHOLLAND

12.00.00am GMT Wed 30th Nov 2005

Greg Mulholland, Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West, today criticised the Government in a debate in Parliament on light rail and has tabled an urgent question asking if London Olympic bid is leading to the cancellation of tram schemes outside the capital.

He offered his condolences to the people of Liverpool and South Hampshire who yesterday saw their light rail schemes turned down and said he empathised with their disappointment following the decision to turn down Leeds Supertram a few weeks ago.

As well as criticising the Government decision to turn down the Supertram, Greg pointing out under the Department for Transport's own guidelines, the schemes cost benefit ration falls in the category where "most if not all schemes should be approved". He also called the Departments argument for turning down the scheme, "seriously misleading" and said that the fact is the revised scheme did not require Government funding above the original sum approved by the Government in 2001 so was it actually inaccurate to say that costs had risen by 40% as the Government has claimed.

Greg Mulholland has also tabled an urgent parliamentary question, in light of the cancellation of two more light rail schemes outside London, asking for categorical assurances from the Secretary of State for Transport that the decision to award the Olympic Games to London has not and will not cause the cancellation of such schemes in light of the need for huge extra investment in the capital.

He was highly critical of the Government's approach to light rail schemes and public transport in general and said that much of the problems are in terms of how light rail schemes have to be procured building in years of risk to be borne by the private sector, and with a system that does not allow cities to borrow or take risks,

Comparing the fact that Lyon in France managed to plan and build a tram system in under 4 years with the fifteen and a half years it took for the Sheffield Supertram, he called for a fresh approach to delivering public transport schemes in the UK.

He commented "Under this Government, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Robert Louis Stevenson would give up and go off and get jobs! We have lost sight of what public transport is for."

In conclusion he said "This Government's approach to public transport has been one of short termism, over centralisation and timidity. What we need is long terms vision, local control and accountability, and courage before our cities and regions clog up."