Bury has missed out on big public transport improvements after a deal was struck between all Greater Manchester authorities, according to Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Bury North Cllr Richard Baum.
The new deal sees big improvements promised across the city region, including a new bypass in Stockport and Metrolink extensions into Rochdale and Oldham. Bury’s only major gain is a feasibility study into improvements tot he East Lancashire Railway. Cllr Baum said “The Tory leadership of Bury Council have struck a bad deal for Bury. We needed better buses, especially in the north of the borough. We also want a commitment that the ELR will be improved and serve as a commuter line. This deal gives us nothing like that.”
The agreement, struck between leaders from the 10 authorities in Greater Manchester, involves individual boroughs giving up their local transport grants and paying more levy to the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority. Cllr Baum said “Bury will be paying for transport improvements in Wigan and Salford. That’s not good enough and the Tories have let us down.”
“Greater Manchester as a whole gets improved public transport without a congestion charge, and I welcome this. It exposes Labour’s TIF bid lies once and for all. But Bury deserves more of the spoils, and the Tory leadership didn’t negotiate us a good deal.”