Top businesses back TIF bid

Reporter: Matthew Simms
Date online: 29/09/2008

Business heavyweights in Greater Manchester have given their support to Manchester’s proposed congestion charge.

The North West Business Leaders Team (NWBLT) is the latest organisation to come out in support of the Transport Innovation Fund bid (TIF).

The NWBLT is a think-tank made up of top executives form the region’s major businesses and after the majority of its members came out in support of the TIF bid, the organisation is now officially backing the scheme.

If successful the TIF bid would see up to £3 billion invested in the region’s public transport part-funded by a peak time congestion charge brought into central Manchester.

Geoffrey Piper, Chief Executive of the NWBLT, has urged people to look at the future benefits of the TIF fund.

“It will affect a lot of businesses but there will be a long term benefit not only to the community but also the business community in Greater Manchester and the North West,” he said.

“The majority of our members are in favour of the TIF and although we still have some issues over the proposals, on balance we think it is a positive proposal.”

Lis Phelan, chair of the Yes Campaign welcomed the news, she said: “This news adds further weight to the Yes Campaign’s message that every sector of society will benefit significantly from this forward-thinking, positive set of proposals.

“The announcement is a victory for common sense. What has become clear over the last few months is that the more people appreciate the breadth and scope of the £3bn TIF package, the more they support it.”

However, as Rochdale Online revealed exclusively on Friday, not all organisations are behind the scheme, with workers at Pennine Acute Hospital Trust, which runs Rochdale Infirmary, going on record to say that they would not be backing the TIF bid after staff voted overwhelmingly against it.