Written question asked by Greg Mulholland (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 19 October 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 21 October 2015. It was answered by Claire O'Neill (Conservative) on Tuesday, 27 October 2015 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Trolleybuses

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the public inquiry into the New Generation Transport trolleybus scheme; and what he expects the final cost of that inquiry to be.

Answer: Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority as promoters of this scheme are responsible for providing the inquiry venue and facilities; paying for professional experts to present their case; and meeting the Planning Inspectorate’s costs in providing an Inspector. The Planning Inspectorate charged £157,162 for this inquiry, based on the time spent by the Inspector preparing for, travelling to and holding the inquiry; the time spent by the Inspector writing his report; and his travelling and subsistence. Other parties to the inquiry were responsible for meeting their own costs.

Secondary information