Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has invested in transport in Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire since 5 February 2015.

Andrew Jones

Information on transport spend in Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire is not available for this period. The latest data from HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis identifies Department for Transport investment of £898 million in Yorkshire and the Humber (which covers the same area) in 2014/15.

Over the period from 5 February 2015, Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire has benefitted from significant investment in transport schemes, for example £16.4m to support the Leeds Inner Ring Road essential maintenance scheme, £10.3m for the Leeds Rail Growth scheme for two new stations at Apperley Bridge (now open) and Kirkstall Forge (due to open in June), £10.3m for the Leeds Station Southern Access Scheme, and £18.1m from the Cycle City Ambition scheme to deliver a cycling ‘super highway between Leeds to Bradford (due for completion May 2016).

This month the Department for Transport informed Leeds Council that it was accepting the independent Planning Inspector’s decision, which said the Leeds Trolleybus system promoted by the council is not suitable for development, and not providing consent for their Trolleybus scheme to go ahead. We have however agreed in this instance that £173 million of DfT funding will be retained so the right public transport scheme in Leeds can be developed as quickly as possible.