Mayor recommits to Metro extension plan

Kim McGuinness said it was vital to improve local and national transport links

The North East Mayor has restated her commitment to extending rail services despite funding fears.

Kim McGuinness said she was "absolutely pushing ahead" with plans to extend the Tyne & Wear Metro to Washington.

In July, she announced she would spend £8m from her own transport budget on a business case for the scheme.

However, shortly after the government threw doubt on a range of transport schemes across the country, increasing fears of a funding shortage for future projects.

• Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Ms McGuinness said: "We will bring the Metro to Washington, we are absolutely pushing ahead.

"The money we’ve allocated already to do that early work is from local money."

She said opening the transport route would give people access to jobs, adding: "It’s just not OK that a town that big doesn’t have [rail] access."

Ms McGuinness took part in BBC Radio Newcastle's Hotseat interviews

Ms McGuinness also committed to opening Ferryhill station as part of the Leamside line, despite the government pulling the Restoring Your Railways fund.

She said: "We are really committed to getting that rail route open, it is of national importance."

Appearing on BBC Radio Newcastle, the mayor also took questions on bus services and the recent riots in Sunderland.

On child poverty, one of the key priorities in her manifesto, she was asked if she was disappointed that not a single North East MP voted to abolish the two-child benefit limit for families on universal credit.

She said: "I know nobody wants to leave that benefit in place, not the prime minister nor the chancellor nor any of those MPs.

"But I also know that the situation that the government inherited was horrendous financially and so choices have had to be made.

"I've been pretty clear I want to see it scrapped as soon as possible, but I also think there's a lot we can be doing locally."