PEOPLE could soon have a say about a combined authority of West Yorkshire councils which will oversee a £1bn transport fund.

If Kirklees Cabinet agree in principle to the formation of a Combined Authority on Thursday, a public consultation will get under way almost immediately to decide its functions.

Schemes which the new body could look at include a new junction on the busy M62 near Rastrick and a major transformation at Cooper Bridge.

Calderdale, Bradford, Wakefield and Leeds councils’ Cabinet members have already agreed in principle to form a Combined Authority.

If Kirklees back it in principle, the plans will go to public consultation county-wide.

And the Authority will assume responsibility for a £1bn West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund, which Kirklees Cabinet also has to signal support for on Thursday.

Kirklees will have to pump £359,000 into the transport fund this year, rising to a predicted £8.7m by 2022.

Ideas put forward so far as part of the core strategy, which the council leaders say are deliverable within 10 years, could have a major impact on Kirklees and Calderdale.

Cooper Bridge is a key part of the fund’s proposals, with road widening, junction improvements and a relief road around Ravensthorpe.

There are also plans to increase employment at Cooper Bridge through new industrial and office units.

A new motorway junction between Brighouse and Huddersfield is also part of the fund’s core plans and would be named junction 24a.

The council’s report says the junction would provide “better access” for Kirklees and Calderdale residents and take pressure off Cooper Bridge.

Plans for the Huddersfield to Halifax route, the A629 Calderdale Way, include changes to traffic light flow, junction work at Salterhebble to speed up traffic and the reconfiguration of the Ainley Top roundabout to reduce delays.

The report shows there’s an idea of a park and ride site at Ainley Top and an express bus service between the two towns.

Plans for a Brighouse bypass are designed to ease congestion in the town centre, as the fund looks to improve pedestrian access, improve safety for cyclists and increase bus speeds from Huddersfield to Bradford.

Holiday-makers flying from Leeds Bradford Airport could see their departures speed up with an express bus link from Leeds and Bradford, along a new single carriageway linking the airport with new junctions on the A65 and A658.

Links between Denby Dale and Wakefield will change with the proposed removal of the roundabout at Ings Road and Denby Dale Road, which would be replaced by a traffic signal control junction. Denby Dale Road, to the south of the junction, will also be converted to one-way.

The consultation will help decide if West Yorkshire public transport body Metro, as it currently operates, will cease.

Clr Peter McBride, Cabinet member for Regeneration, said: “The West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund is a bold move which secures real investment in our future infrastructure, which will in turn allow us to boost the local economy across the county by increasing access to jobs and skills.

“By working on a county-wide basis, the significant investment will mean improved traffic and public transport infrastructure and really improve the economic prospects for current businesses, attract more businesses to locate here and encourage people to live in the region rather than take their knowledge and income elsewhere.”

A Combined Authority is a statutory body which takes on the roles of Local Transport Authority and Economic Prosperity Board for an area. Kirklees believes a Combined Authority will draw powers and more money from Westminster.

Clr Mehboob Khan, leader of Kirklees Council, said: “The current thinking based on the interim findings of the review is that the Combined Authority would allow many of the benefits proposed to be realised, acting as the decision maker for economic investment and transport issues.

“This would mean control over powers and funding currently held by government. It would not mean that local issues would have to be handled by the Combined Authority.”

Kirklees believes the £1bn transport fund plans and Combined Authority will create 20,000 new jobs in the region, with a growth in the economy of £1.35bn per year. Around 7,500 jobs in construction would the proposals.

The Combined Authority will be an accountable body for a £400m economic investment fund.

Gateway projects include £50m investment in rail stations to make them more welcoming. Stations likely to get funding boost include Leeds, Bradford Interchange, Huddersfield and Halifax.

Transformational projects, which could follow implementation of core projects, will require significant investment beyond the £1bn fund. Ideas include work to the Huddersfield ring road and development of a Platform 9 at Huddersfield Rail Station.