High Court Calls Time on Merseytravel Tram Plea

By Early, Catherine

A lack of council support for Merseyside’s tram scheme has been blamed for the failure of Merseytravel’s legal challenge to secure government funding.

Last week a High Court judge crushed any remaining hopes that the scheme could be rescued or that the Department for Transport (DfT) would repay Merseytravel the 55 million it has already spent on the project.

“By September 2005 it was plain that all the local authorities either did not support the tram or did so only on the basis that there was no cost to them,” said Mr Justice Sullivan, who also refused the passenger transport authority (PTA) leave to appeal.

The DfT was delighted with the decision. A spokeswoman said: “We hope Merseytravel will concentrate on developing other ways of improving public transport.” However, Merseytravel chief executive and director-general Neil Scales vowed to continue the fight.

Merseytravel will request permission to appeal on the grounds that ministers have overridden statute law in effectively allowing the councils a veto on a transport issue when parliament has specifically given PTAs power over transport.

“We do not regret having to take this action, although it is more in sorrow than in anger,” said Scales. “But there is an important point of law at stake, which affects not just Merseytravel but every PTA across the country.”

Scales admitted that the local transport plan will have to be rewritten because many of its goals are tram-related.

Merseytram: lack of council support cited as fatal in High Court

Copyright Haymarket Business Publications Ltd. Feb 10, 2006