PM 'very supportive' of city mass transit system

The Prime Minister has said he is "very supportive" of the idea of bringing a mass transit system to Bristol.

The return of trams to the city has been a long debate over several decades, halted multiple times by disagreements over plans and a lack of funding.

Andy Burnham acknowledged that the highly sought-after infrastructure in the city would cost billions but said he thought there was an opportunity to work alongside the Mayor of the West of England Helen Godwin on the plans.

"I'm very committed to Bristol," he said. "I think it's a fantastic place and if we can bring forward together a vision for mass transit in Bristol, I think it goes to the next level."

Earlier this week, Godwin told BBC Radio Bristol that the city deserved a mass transit system and that she hoped more plans to bring it to reality could be confirmed within the next year.

Burnham said it was "absolutely right" that the government should start to look at plans for long-term infrastructure to connect Bristol and the surrounding areas.

"I don't see why Bristol shouldn't be able to aspire to a tram system similar to the one that we have in Manchester," he said.

He said Greater Manchester's system was built in stages and Bristol could take a similar "innovative" approach.

"You could start obviously with the new arena, connecting the new arena to the train station and the city centre," he said.

"We need to start thinking differently about how we fund infrastructure.

"There is a way of doing it that captures the value of the uplift in land value that you get when you put the new infrastructure in and then you capture that back and you help pay for the cost of the infrastructure, so there are innovative ways of doing this that could make mass transit in Bristol a reality," he said.

Earlier this year, the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) announced its transport vision which detailed the idea of introducing new public transport links and improving existing services around the city and its surrounding areas.

As part of the announcement, Godwin said the authority was working to develop a 15-year plan to deliver mass transit to the area, with an ambition to start delivery of the first projects within four to five years.

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