 CRISIS-HIT Merseytram was today given a vote of confidence by Liverpool's council chiefs. They confirmed their support for the ailing scheme, describing it as "hugely important" for Merseyside.. But they refused to accept a new deal to pay for line one of the tram network, saying it could potentially hit council taxpayers. Instead, Liverpool council will join a delegation which will ask the government to provide an extra £66.7m in addition to £170m already earmarked. Liverpool's verdict, revealed at a meeting this morning, comes after the shock decision by Wirral and Sefton councils to withdraw their backing of Merseytram. The city's position is more in line with Knowsley and St Helens, which have not abandoned the tram scheme but refuse to accept any council tax rises to pay for it. Liverpool will also not support use of Mersey tunnel charges to fund line one, which runs between the city centre and Kirkby. Cllr Mike Storey, leader of the council, said: "The tram is hugely important to Merseyside, but we are aware that the cost has risen by £67m. "We cannot expect council taxpayers to pay that. However, we will take part in an all-Merseyside delegation to the Department for Transport and ask for the government to provide the money. "We are still in total support of Merseytram, shown by the way we have handed over land for free, and agreed to let work carry on into 2008." Merseytram has been dealt a series of blows over the past fortnight after a report by financial experts at the five Merseyside councils revealed the project still needed an extra £66.7m and criticised Merseytravel's suggestions for filling this gap. It claimed councils would have to pay millions more, and money for tunnel repairs would be diverted into the tram scheme. nick.coligan@liverpool.com | 
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