Councillor Brett condemns Council Leader Taylor over Metrolink

Date published: 21/04/2007

Councillor Allen Brett, leader of the Labour Group on Rochdale Council and vice-chairman of Greater Manchester Public Transport Authority, has condemned Rochdale Council’s Lib Dem leader, Alan Taylor, for reportedly saying he would give up the Metrolink extension in the town to remain opposed to congestion charging.

It was reported in the Manchester Evening News Friday 20 April (page 2) that: "Mr Taylor said he was prepared to keep his stance on congestion charging, even if it meant losing the Metrolink extension into Rochdale town centre".

Councillor Brett said: "Councillor Taylor is abandoning any hope of getting the Metrolink extension simply to score political points ahead of the local elections on the 3 May. I’m very disappointed that Councillor Taylor is giving away Rochdale people’s chance of getting a dramatically improved public transport system on a political whim".

Simon Danczuk, Rochdale’s Labour Parliamentary Candidate, also commented: "You can’t play politics with what are major transport opportunities for Rochdale people. Whilst everyone acknowledges there needs to be a debate on how or whether congestion charging should be introduced surely it can’t be in one Liberal Democrat politician’s gift to discard the Metrolink system for the whole of Rochdale".

Councillor Brett continued: "The sad news is that the Liberal Democrats in Rochdale have a track record of opposing Metrolink coming to Rochdale. A few years ago Paul Rowen (then Liberal Democrat Group leader, and now Rochdale MP) voted for Stockport to get the Metrolink ahead of Rochdale. A Labour Government is offering to invest millions of pounds in Rochdale’s transport system and for what appears to be their own political gain the Liberal Democrats are rejecting it out of hand. The irony is that the Liberal Democrats nationally are the only party to fully endorse congestion charging!"

Simon Danczuk finally stated: "Rochdale’s Liberal Democrats are using Metrolink as a political football; they’re trying to politically spin congestion charging into a negative campaign for the local elections. I don’t believe the people of Rochdale will thank them for what they are doing."