Transport Insights

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has refused to disclose the controversial peer review of its mass transit plans on the grounds that disclosure “will impact the programme by a loss of public confidence” – effectively admitting that the review was highly critical of the scheme.

The admission is a vindication for the Tory councillor who has claimed that WYCA was putting forward a “dishonest” version of the review’s findings and suggests that the outrage that West Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin expressed over the suggestion was confected.

To recap, the review by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) led to the WYCA’s plans for mass transit (probably trams) being put back from the early 2030’s to the end of the decade.

Both Brabin and transport ministers have tried to put a brave face on the situation but have refused to publish the report for various reasons, although it was made available to members of the combined authority.

At a meeting last month, Cllr Alan Lamb, the leader of the Conservative opposition on Leeds City Council, alleged that the public presentation of the report was “dishonest” and that people needed to see the report itself because it shows that “mass transit is in peril”. Brabin said she was “outraged” by the claim.

But WYCA has now effectively admitted that this is true and that the situation set out in the report is so dire that the public would lose confidence in the scheme if this were known.

In response to a freedom of information request, it said:

on the balance of probabilities releasing the information will impact the programme by a loss of public confidence

Although the response sought to tie this up with issues around “a free and frank exchange of views by NISTA” and a report “provided in confidence”, it clearly stated that it would be “public confidence” that would be damaged.

It also referred to:

the real and significant likelihood that disclosure would prejudice WYCA’s ability to manage and develop a complex, high-value transport programme.

As Cllr Lamb said “mass transit is in peril” if you look behind the curtain.