Calls for clarity over

SENIOR POLITICIANS SEEKING FURTHER DETAILS ON PLANS WHICH

SENIOR West Yorkshire politicians have called for a regional transport body to break its silence on air travel and its impact on the environment.

Both Labour and Green councillors said the new climate and environment plan for West

Yorkshire should make mention of the planned expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport, and that such a move would “blow the doors off” the regional carbon budget.

The combined authority, which covers the local council areas of Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees, has a target to be a carbon net-zero economy by 2038 “at the latest”, with “significant progress” made by 2030.

Its latest plans suggest ideas such as ground source heat pumps, as well as pushing members of the public towards walking, cycling and electrified public transport - but says little about aviation.

The discussion comes amid the mystery surrounding the future of the planned £150m Leeds Bradford Airport expansion, which was approved by a Leeds City Council planning committee earlier this year, but has since been paused by

Government.

A senior Kirklees councillor went on to claim that the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, which looks after the retirement monies of all local authority workers, has invested in the company which owns LBA.

Coun Neil Walshaw (Lab) is chair of the Leeds City Council climate emergency committee.

Speaking during a meeting of WYCA’s climate emergency and environment committee, he mentioned next month’s international Cop26 climate summit.

He added: “We’re having this meeting in a state of COP limbo. There has not been any heavy lifting yet, so I’m hoping next year is going to bring a flood of announcements.

“The airport expansion blows the doors off the carbon budget. In Bristol, their combined authority has taken a stance against the airport. I wonder what that would mean for us.

“Airport expansion is incompatible. We need a much better heavy rail option,

but we need to have a