A LIVERPOOL entrepreneur last night revealed he was prepared to offer millions of pounds from his £70m personal fortune to ensure the Merseytram project goes ahead.
Mike McComb, who sold his mobile phone retail chain to BT Cellnet for £40m in 2000, said he was keen to do everything he could to make sure the £280m network was built.
His offer was welcomed by Merseytravel chief executive Neil Scales who said he would be "delighted" to meet him and discuss what was on offer.
Mr McComb, 47, is seeking to open negotiations with the agencies responsible for delivering Line One, an 11-mile route from Kings Dock to Kirkby. The offer comes the day before Liverpool Council's executive board is expected to agree, along with Knowsley Council, to underwrite the estimated £24m contingency fund required to give the flagship transport project the green light.
"It should be possible to bridge any funding shortfall with a public private partnership," he said. "There should be no obstacle to this project going ahead because I believe its success its vital for the future of this city.
"I have the wealth to help out. Of course this would be a commercial venture for me and I am obviously looking for some kind of return on any investment.
"But I also passionately believe in this project and I am not sure everyone realises how important it is to Merseyside. If this ends in failure, then we are going to become a second-class city."
Mr McComb compared the uncertainty over the Merseytram project with the plans during the 1930s to build the Mersey Tunnels.
He added: "This situation does mirror what happened back then with people backing away from the project. Just imagine if they never found the nerve to actually go ahead and build the tunnels.
"Someone needs to find the courage to make the decision to go ahead with the tram."
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