GREATER MANCHESTER METRO LINK EXTENSION

That this House notes with regret the Secretary of State for Transport's announcement on light rail and the great concern and disappointment of the people of Greater Manchester; welcomes his acceptance that the Manchester Metro has been successful and that it got a good assessment from the National Audit Office; accepts that there has been a dramatic increase in the costs of the planned extension; welcomes the Secretary of State's agreement to sit down urgently with local authorities, GMPTA and the financiers urgently to review the affordability of the scheme; and calls on the Secretary of State to do this at the earliest possible opportunity, given the pressing timetable especially with the potential impact on economic regeneration in the areas covered by the Oldham, Rochdale and Ashton under Lyne and South Manchester extensions.