Like all other organisations Metro and the ITA face difficult times as the Government's financial recovery measures take effect, he said after the meeting, but investment in job-creating transport schemes would help to grow the local and national economy out of recession.

"Transport schemes such as the planned NGT trolleybus network in Leeds, new rail stations, Castleford Interchange and the new southern entrance at Leeds station will all help contribute to the creation of local jobs," said Cllr Greaves.

"Putting these schemes on hold jeopardises substantial amounts of public money that the Department for Transport has encouraged us to spend developing them and also the substantial private sector funding that has been secured for schemes such as Kirkstall Forge station."

Call for meeting with Ministers

"We have called for a meeting with Ministers to discuss the spending review's effect on the development of our projects and to stress how the NGT scheme represents value-for-money in supporting the Leeds City Region's economic recovery and future growth.

"We will also be stressing that there had been a history of underspending on transport in our region from successive Governments and that making any cuts less hard-hitting here would be an opportunity for the Government to start redressing that legacy," added Cllr Greaves.

"We will also point out that the 4,000 new jobs that will result from the NGT trolleybus network will be created at a fraction of the cost of those that will be created by Crossrail in London."

Optimism for NGT trolleybus scheme

Cllr Greaves echoed the outgoing Chairman Cllr Downes' reaction to this week's budget announcement saying that if the Government plans to give priority to projects that provide a 'significant economic return to the country' and that 'have the greatest impact on innovation and jobs', he couldn't see the Government blocking the NGT trolleybus scheme. 'Councillor Downes responds to Budget announcement'

The Department for Transport had already acknowledged, he said, what the NGT scheme would achieve, including the creation of 4,000 long-term jobs, and help grow the local economy out of recession.

He added that the new southern entrance to Leeds Station had also met Department for Transport requirements and a £4m private sector contribution to the cost of building vital new stations at Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall Forge.

Quality Bus Contracts

Quality Bus Contracts, which would result in the London-style franchising of bus services, were still an aim for the ITA, said Councillor Greaves, despite the potential costs of setting them up.

"We have to remember that we work on behalf of public transport users across West Yorkshire and they have repeatedly been let down by the current system which leaves bus operators free to change routes, withdraw services and hike up prices at will," he said.

"We owe it to local people either to secure clear and binding voluntary agreements with the bus operators, which set out the levels of service passengers can expect and the fares they are going to pay, or to proceed to Quality Contracts where we set the standards and the operators bid to run services."

Metro 'one of the most efficient PTEs'

Addressing the issue of Metro's response to potential budget cuts, Cllr Greaves said Metro was already about the most efficient of the PTEs.

"Independent research shows we do what we do in West Yorkshire as well as, or better, than the PTEs for the other metropolitan areas, but we do it with fewer staff, at a lower cost, with lower sickness rates and with higher customer satisfaction levels," he said.

"Despite this we are reviewing all vacancies to see if they absolutely need to be filled to enable us to meet levels of service our customers expect, and we have introduced a voluntary redundancy scheme, both of which will achieve further savings."

Cllr Greaves ended by thanking Metro staff for their hard work, efficiency and the savings they had already made and said he was confident that he and his ITA colleagues of all parties would strive to make a convincing case for the continued investment in West Yorkshire's transport network.