CITY council officials were today due to take Transport Minister Norman Baker on a tour of Nottingham's public transport network.

He was being whisked away on the tram to see how it has become a popular service, helping to move thousands of people around the city and reduce congestion on the roads.

He was then due to travel on board Nottingham's buses to view other parts of the city where the NET Phase Two proposals will see the tram lines extended.

The visit comes after Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood invited Mr Baker to visit the city while she was making a case for the investment in the tram network and the A453 in a Parliamentary debate in June.

Councillor Jane Urquhart, city council portfolio holder for transport and area working, said: "We have always recognised the important link between transport and the economy. The work to achieve the tram line NET Line One was initiated from a concern expressed by the local business community that growing congestion was a threat to the local economy.''

She will urge Mr Baker to take a message back to the Department for Transport that this is a city that can deliver on public transport and that continued investment will bring huge benefits.

Mrs Urquhart said: "There is compelling evidence which shows that investing in transport in congested urban areas is one of the most effective forms of transport investment there is in generating economic growth, job and access to employment.

"Few other single projects or interventions would have as large an impact on long-term employment growth in Nottingham and surrounding areas as NET Phase Two."

Mrs Urquhart will also argue that the tram investment will not be a huge drain on the Government's resources because it is paid for through a Private Finance Initiative.

This means the Government's main payments won't start until 2014 – when it is expected there will be signs of economic recovery – and will be spread over about 20 years.

Its total contribution to the £680 million scheme would be £530 million, with the rest paid for locally through the workplace parking levy.

The previous Government gave conditional approval, and in theory full approval would be expected if the business case still holds up by the time the contract is won.

Mrs Greenwood said she was delighted Mr Baker had accepted her invitation to see the work the city council and local transport bosses have done to make Nottingham a centre of excellence for local transport.

Broxtowe Borough Council leader David Watts (Liberal Democrat) is a keen supporter of the tram extensions, with one of the lines passing through Beeston and Chilwell.

He said: "It is essential that we get the money for the tram and we get the money now so people know what is happening and we get on with it.''