Dear Sir,

The people of Merseyside no doubt become cynical and weary at the very mention of the word Merseytram.  Whilst other cities are busy building and operating tram systems our local politicians and media continue to debate Merseytram’s merits, costs and prospects. Last week it was widely reported that a letter from Government Minister, Sadiq Khan, amounted to the final death knell for the project.

It is therefore with understandable trepidation that we write this letter and suggest to our political colleagues and the wider community of Merseyside that this is project where we should be willing to go the extra mile.

Merseytram is a big picture project that would help to transform the quality of our local transport system and deliver substantial regeneration and employment benefits at a time of acute economic uncertainty.

It is also apparent, in the light of Sadiq Khan’s letter that the future destiny of the Merseytram project rests in the first instance with politicians in this City Region. It is up to us whether we want to support and prioritise Merseytram, and it is up to us whether we choose to lobby for its inclusion in regional and national spending programmes.

In simple terms we need to decide whether we want to continue pursuing the possibility of a £300 million of investment in our transport system and hundreds of additional jobs or are we simply happy to see these kind of opportunities delivered elsewhere?

Do we want to see the City that built the world’s first passenger railway to be one of the last the UK or European cities not to have a modern and environmentally sustainable light rail system?

It is crucially important that local politicians on Merseyside dispel the suggestion that we cannot match Manchester’s capacity to agree and deliver regional projects or lobby effectively for Government resources. We must be able to demonstrate that we can put aside political and geographic loyalties; that we can look at major projects like Merseytram and consider carefully and objectively their costs and benefits.

We remain passionately convinced that the Merseytram project could deliver enormous benefits for the people of the City Region. For this reason we want to ensure that in the coming weeks, leading up to the crucial meeting of the City Region Cabinet next month, the issue is debated in an open, informed and constructive way.

This is too important an opportunity to let slip. That is why we want to ensure that the benefits and cost implications are properly understood and that every reasonable and available means of delivering this hugely important project is fully explored.

Yours sincerely,
Cllr Joe Anderson and Cllr Ronnie Round