Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why the application from Sunderland City Council in July 2016 for funding for Phases 4 and 5 of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor was rejected.

The application for funding was made under the Large Local Major Schemes Fund which is for schemes that are too high in cost to be funded through the Local Growth Fund - the primary funding source for local transport infrastructure schemes. The bids for Phases 4 and 5 of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor were declined as ineligible as they were under the funding threshold for the Large Local Majors Fund (£75m for schemes in the North East Local Enterprise Partnership area). Phase 3 of this scheme, which is higher in cost than either of Phases 4 or 5, is being funded through the Local Growth Fund.