Speaking about the year ahead he said that it was vital for Metro to continue ensuring it was delivering value for money investment in transport at a time when people’s incomes are being cut and there is a squeeze on public spending.

He stressed the importance of Local Enterprise Partnerships as an opportunity for authorities to work together and have a strong local voice in developing better transport services. Metro will, he said, continue to fight and lobby for major transport schemes such as the planned NGT trolleybus network, developments to the local rail network, and the new southern entrance for Leeds station which was recently given the go-ahead by the Department for Transport.

Cllr Lewis said Bus Quality Contracts or Partnerships present an opportunity for Metro to specify bus services that will better meet passengers’ needs and that the potential for a greater involvement in future local rail franchises would mean decisions on services being made locally rather than in London.

Metro will, he said, need to continue to make savings and it was an opportunity to review the local network and operators will have to share the pain of reducing the burden of maintaining the local bus network on the public purse.

Cllr Lewis also stressed the importance of a future high-speed rail link to encourage investment in the Leeds City Region.