Tracy Brabin says greater devolution would speed up West Yorkshire mass transit

Ms Brabin has pledged to bring trams back to the cities of Leeds and Bradford, however the £2.5bn scheme has hit several bumps in the road.

A critical review by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista) has caused the proposed completion date to be pushed back to the late 2030s.

It also suggested that the mayor should consider a bus network instead of trams, due to its “benefits:cost ratio is significantly better”.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority is currently in the process of submitting business cases for both trams and buses to the Department for Transport, who will eventually sign off on one system.

Ms Brabin said: “We know all too well in the North of England, that true devolution is at risk of being derailed by rules unfit for the modern age.

“We also know Britain is too slow at delivering major infrastructure projects. Devolution can change that.

“Mayors who know their areas best should be given the powers to make the right decisions for their region.

“The outcome would be a better quality of life for millions currently having to struggle with unreliable transport connections.”

A number of think tanks have made the case for the Government to hand over these powers to mayors as part of the English Devolution bill, currently making its way through Parliament.

In a report this week, Britain Remade pointed out the extensive tram and metro systems in Leeds’ twin cities of Lille and Dortmund.

“In England, mayors still have to go cap in hand to the Treasury and the Department for Transport before anything major can get built,” founder Sam Richards said.

“That’s one reason cities like Leeds are falling behind comparable places in Europe. Directly elected mayors know what their areas need far better than officials in Whitehall.

“If the government wants cities like Leeds to compete with the best in Europe, it needs to trust local leaders to get on and build.”

Last year, Labour Together - the organisation which spearheaded Sir Keir Starmer’s push for power - said giving mayors control over transport decisions would ultimately save money.

The Government has been contacted for comment.