Midland Metro

EDM number 264 in 1994-95, proposed by Richard Burden on 13/12/1994.

That this House, whilst welcoming the fact that the Secretary of State for Transport has now formally approved the Midland Metro Light Rail Scheme, is disappointed that the Government has once again failed to specify what overall level of support beyond an initial ú5 million will be given to the project by the Department of Transport; believes that it is utterly unreasonable for the Secretary of State to demand that further large financial commitments to the project be made by local authorities in the West Midlands when they have already committed ú13.5 million to it, when they are facing more cuts in capital programmes as a result of the Budget, and when no such demands were made of local authorities when similar projects were given the go-ahead in Manchester and Sheffield; and calls on the Secretary of State to stop prevaricating and instead to confirm both realistic financial support for Midlands Metro and a clear plan for attracting further funds so this vital transport project can go ahead without further delay.

This motion has been signed by a total of 33 MPs.