Third top transport official in charge of West Yorkshire mass transit leaves role

The trio of resignations come amid friction between West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Whitehall over the tram project.

Another top transport official in charge of the West Yorkshire mass transit scheme has left the combined authority, the third in the last six months.

In April, Mike Birch, West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s mass transit director, stood down, saying a “ very different leadership focus” was required for the £2.5bn tram plan.

Mr Birch was brought in in March last year, to lead on Mayor Tracy Brabin’s pledge to bring trams back to the streets of Leeds and Bradford.

Not long after, Simon Warburton, the experienced executive director for transport, followed, saying he was pursuing “the next stage of my career”.

This week, current head of mass transit place and consents, Stacey White, has left to join Sheffield City Council, after four years on the project.

She said: “I’m incredibly proud of the things we have achieved together and will continue to cheer from the sidelines.”

A West Yorkshire Combined Authority spokesperson said: “Mass Transit will be one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country, and we are always taking steps to make sure we maintain and build on the technical expertise we already have on hand to deliver it.

“Due to the length of time it takes to deliver long-term projects like Mass Transit, it is normal to see senior staff move elsewhere to progress their careers mid-project, alongside new people joining the team.

“Stacey led on our planning workstream, and leaves the Mass Transit programme in a stronger place. We thank her for her enthusiasm and drive to make a better-connected West Yorkshire, and wish her well in her new role.”

The trio of resignations come amid friction between the combined authority and Whitehall.

Ms Brabin has been critical of the bureaucracy involved with the project, with it slated to be completed in the late 2030s.

The completion date was pushed back after a critical review by Treasury body, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista).

This instructed WYCA to change its approach, which delayed work on the route and planning process.

Controversy also emerged after The Yorkshire Post revealed last year that civil servants could overrule Ms Brabin and turn the mass transit system into a bus network.

WYCA was asked to set out an alternative business case for buses, with the Department for Transport the ultimate body to sign off the plans for the scheme based on cost efficiency.

The Nista report also suggested the mayor should consider a bus rapid transit system - which would be made of electric trolleybuses or guided busways - instead of trams.

It said: “There is a need to build the case for trams which has not been completed.

“This is particularly important because the likely cost of a BRT mode is significantly less than for trams and the BRT benefits:cost ratio is significantly better.”

There appears to be a battle between Cabinet ministers and civil servants, with previous chancellor Rachel Reeves repeatedly saying that the project would involve trams.

Ms Brabin travelled to Downing Street earlier in the year to discuss the project with Sir Keir Starmer, who agreed that the timetable was “ridiculous”.

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to hand down greater powers to mayors around transport, with devolution being a key plank of his agenda.

The Government is currently consulting on giving mayors the final say over mass transit projects in their regions.