It is a great day for the Tees Valley that this Labour government is making sure our region will get the public money needed to invest in our transport network. We now have a £1bn transport war chest which we can use to transform travel for people across the region going to work, college, school, appointments but also for major structural improvements to enhance the region’s economic opportunities.
What gives me the greatest pleasure is to see the £60mn the Labour government has earmarked for the creation of the third platform at Middlesbrough Railway Station, as it is something I have been fighting nearly a decade for.
As Shadow Transport Secretary in 2017 I brought the then Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP to our station to see its potential for himself. On that visit McDonnell told of our pledge to invest £400mn of the proposed £250bn National Transformation Plan on improving Darlington and Middlesbrough’s railway stations and electrifying lines from Northallerton to Teesport.
It is worth reminding ourselves that at the time, the Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen told the Northern Echo that our transport plans would do “untold damage to the lives of working people in the Tees Valley”. Thankfully he has now changed his tune.
Early in March 2018, the masterplan for Middlesbrough Railway Station was launched by myself and former Middlesbrough Mayor Dave Budd. The most important part of the scheme was then, and remains today, building the third platform. Platform 3 will significantly expand capacity and allow us to increase services, including the service to London, all of which will all add to the economic performance of our region.
Game – changer
I said when we unveiled this plan that it would be a ‘game-changer’ for Middlesbrough and the wider Teesside area and that is just as true today as it was then.
The wider plan we had for the station included the reopening of the southern entrance which has been delivered and for new retail units, which are just about ready to go.
Our ambition beyond today’s announcement is for a re-imagined frontage at the north entrance opening out into Middlehaven. The delivery of the third platform makes that possible.
The Lord Houchen-led Tees Valley Combined Authority has repeatedly been pulled up for its shortcomings over governance and providing value for money by independent auditors, the independent Tees Valley Report and successive Conservative and Labour governments. It remains in special measures, which is a huge concern.
However, despite these serious concerns, it is the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Tees Valley Mayor Lord Houchen’s responsibility to make sure this £1bn makes real and lasting change.
It’s a great position to be in and as a Mayor with absolutely no responsibility for all the really tough business that our local councils have to juggle with, such as adult social care and children’s services, Lord Houchen should be unequivocally welcoming Labour’s delivery rather than harking back to the unkept promises of Rishi Sunak.
Whilst there is much upon which we all agree regardless of our political allegiances, in terms of needed infrastructure investment in the Tees Valley, we need a sensible conversation about our priorities.
Devolution means that decisions are made locally and not nationally and I would urge Lord Houchen to focus on working with all local stakeholders to properly direct investment to address our transport needs.
The clear issue of distinction between us is that of bus services. Buses are the most important mode of public transport and we have a golden opportunity to transform our network and seize the current opportunity to take back public control over our bus services by using the powers that Andy Burnham in Manchester has done to such great effect.
Let’s work together on this and improve the ability of our communities across Teesside, Hartlepool and Darlington to get to work, to school, to medical appointments, to the shops and to enjoy the night time economy.
That’s certainly what I will be doing for people in Middlesbrough & Thornaby East.
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