Extra cash being ploughed into West Yorkshire for infrastructure projects must be spent on a Shipley Eastern Bypass, an MP has told government ministers.
Shipley MP Philip Davies said his constituents were suffering because of spending bias from West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which prioritised Labour heartlands.
Speaking in Parliament he warned Chancellor Philip Hammond of throwing more money at the region until the issue of fair funding was resolved.
Mr Davies said: “Please do not just blindly hand over any extra infrastructure spending in West Yorkshire to the Labour dominated West Yorkshire Combined Authority for them to just pump money into the Labour heartlands. Instead can you make sure money can be spent in other parts of West Yorkshire including a Shipley Eastern Bypass which would benefit the local economy and benefit the economies of Keighley and Pudsey constituencies too.”
Earlier this month officials from the Department for Transport agreed to meet with Bradford Council and WYCA about the scheme after it was claimed government criteria was stopping the scheme going ahead.
Chancellor Mr Hammond said: “I will pass on the concerns to the Transport Secretary and ask him to take them into consideration when he makes his allocations.”
The case for a Shipley Eastern Bypass was first mentioned in the Airedale Plan years ago.
Transport Ministers have previously said they were aware of the “merits of the scheme” and there was no reason it should not go ahead.