LEADER of Hillingdon Council, Councillor Ray Puddifoot has praised Mayor of London Ken Livingstone on the dramatic U-turn over the West London Tram.

Ken Livingstone announced plans last week to scrap the unpopular West London Tram and use a bus-based solution to the borough's transport chaos.

He said that the tram, which would have run down the Uxbridge Road, would not be built if CrossRail gets the go-ahead in the autumn.

In a statement to the Hillingdon Times, Cllr Puddifoot said: "I want to congratulate Ken on coming to the conclusion that the tram is not the right thing for Uxbridge Road.

"I don't believe that the bus based solution is dependant on Crossrail. It's a done deal, however Crossrail will go ahead, no doubt about it. Nobody is speaking out against it, not at central or local government level and both the businesses and people of London are in favour of it."

Richard Barnes, the Conservative representative for Hillingdon in the Greater London Assembly slammed the Mayor saying: "The whole sorry tale of the west London Tram has been one of arrogance and a waste of money from the start."