Bus station closure omitted from regional meeting

The Interchange's bus station has been closed since January

Opposition councillors in Bradford have expressed shock that the closure of the city's bus station has been left off the agenda of a key regional transport meeting.

Bradford Interchange was closed in January after concrete fell from the structure into an underground car park, creating safety issues.

But, while the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) transport committee will be asked to approve a new £3.5m roof for Leeds Bus Station on Friday, the closure of the Interchange gets only a brief mention in the meeting's 158-page agenda.

WYCA said a detailed report on the problem would be published next month.

Councillor Rebecca Poulsen, the leader of Bradford's opposition Conservative group, said dealing with the Interchange "should be the priority".

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Having just seen the transport committee papers for next week I was astounded that the current closure of Bradford Interchange and the complete chaos for bus users in Bradford city centre is not on the agenda.

"We have no idea if the Interchange will even reopen and if it does what work is needed and the costs.

“Yet there is a report requesting funding for Leeds Bus Station’s roof."

The closure has caused travel disruption to bus passengers across the city

WYCA has said surveys on the Interchange are due to last until June, and the results are likely to decide the future of the bus station.

The closure of the Interchange has caused huge issues with bus transport in Bradford, with passengers having to use temporary stops dotted around the city centre.

The transport committee report into the need for a new roof at Leeds Bus Station said this would "provide a safer bus station environment, resulting in improvements to a key hub for bus services in Leeds and across West Yorkshire".

Councillor Matt Edwards, leader of the Greens on Bradford Council, said: “It genuinely is staggering that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee – the body responsible for transport across our region – doesn’t feel that the closure of Bradford Interchange deserves a place on the agenda.

“If that wasn’t bad enough, this same committee is making the time to discuss how they are going to improve the roof at the bus station in Leeds.

"I know there are really serious issues with the roof there and these need sorting but bus passengers in Bradford don’t even have a bus station right now. How is Bradford Interchange not their top priority?"

A WYCA spokesperson said: "We closed Bradford Interchange bus station because public safety is our top priority and we continue to work with Bradford Council to limit disruption.

"We will be providing a detailed report at next month’s meeting of the Combined Authority when we will know more from the survey work which is currently under way."

Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe, who chairs the transport committee, said the local authority was working with WYCA to "minimise disruption as much as possible".

She added: "WYCA are bringing a full report to the main Combined Authority meeting, which is led by the Mayor, on June 20. 

"This allows time for the current extensive surveys on the building to be progressed." 

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