I read with interest your reports about Lord Heseltine’s call for a £50bn ‘mega-fund’ to be handed to local business and council leaders in a bid to get kick-start growth across the UK, labelled ‘excellent’ by the Prime Minister.
The timing comes days after you reported a £20m funding shortfall in the trolleybus scheme (Proposed trolleybus scheme faces £20m funding black hole, YEP 27/10/12.)
It’s interesting these two stories should crop up at similar times. I have consistently argued that Leeds should consider using the funding to help the city realise it’s aim of building a tram system – a proposal rejected by the previous government.
The Leeds City Region recently secured a City Deal which gives us a lot of power over how we build transport infrastructure in the future – if we can’t have the vision and ambition to go for a proper tram system, instead of the compromise of a trolleybus, with the new powers we have, and the ability to seek funding we possess, then I think it would be a wasted opportunity for Leeds.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor John Procter, Wetherby Ward
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