Metro extension funding pledge met with suspicion

Local leaders have expressed cynicism over plans to expand the West Midlands Metro line to Brierley Hill

Community chiefs in the Black Country have said they are reserving judgment on a government funding pledge for a local Metro extension.

In Wednesday's budget, chancellor Rachel Reeves committed to funding an extended link from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill.

The measure was revealed as part of a national £1.3bn pot for city transport schemes, and Labour's West Midlands mayor Richard Parker said the investment would "change lives".

But the leader of Dudley Council is among those who have told the BBC it remains unclear whether the project will run all the way to Brierley Hill town centre or stop short.

The future of the link from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill, one of three extensions planned for the region's Metro network, had already been subject to uncertainty amid rising costs.

Councillor Patrick Harley, Conservative, welcomed Ms Reeves' announcement but wanted detail.

He said it was not clear whether the funding would cover the extension right through to Brierley Hill High Street or the nearby Merry Hill shopping centre.

“Until I get those assurances, I will be keeping the champagne very much on ice," he said.

Mr Harley's fellow Conservative councillor Adam Davies expressed greater suspicion, saying: "We've been pushing hard for the full Metro extension to reach all the way up to Brierley Hill town centre so it's incredibly disappointing that this Budget hasn't delivered that for our town, traders and businesses.

"From what we can see, the chancellor's announcement doesn't actually take the Metro any further than had already been confirmed by the Combined Authority - which was to get the extension as far as Merry Hill, not up to Brierley Hill town centre."

Rachel Reeves included the Brierley Hill expansion in her £1.3bn pledge for city transport schemes in her first Budget

The West Midlands mayor said the announcement showed "great confidence" in the region.

“It’s a very important announcement," Mr Parker said. "There’s been no money to complete that line in the past despite all the announcements."

Currently, the West Midlands Metro runs from Edgbaston in Birmingham to Wolverhampton.

The BBC understands the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is waiting to hear from the Department for Transport about the detail of the chancellor's announcement.

A Transport for West Midlands spokesperson said they welcomed the commitment from the government for the Metro extension and would work through the details with ministers in the next few weeks.

“A report will be taken to the WMCA Board on 15 November setting out the next steps for the extension," they added.