The petition of the residents of North Staffordshire;
Declares that improving rail infrastructure and providing better rail services in our city and wider North Staffordshire is vital for the growth of our local economy; notes that over 1,000 constituents have signed a corresponding petition asking to reopen the railway between Stoke and Leek; further declares that it would create jobs and unlock the potential of unused brownfield sites in our area; and further that it would greatly benefit commuters and passengers.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take such action as is necessary to reopen the railway between Stoke and Leek.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Jonathan Gullis, Official Report, 16 December 2020; Vol. 686, c. 353.]
[P002639]
Observations from the Minister of State, Department for Transport (Chris Heaton-Harris):
We announced the £500 million Restoring Your Railway Fund in January 2020 to enable opportunities to reinstate railway services such as the Stoke to Leek Line, and add new stations, to the railway network. The Restoring Your Railway fund is about connecting people and communities. It includes an Ideas Fund for those schemes that are in an early stage of development and need to explore the options for solving a transport problem.
I thank the residents of North Staffordshire for expressing their support for this proposal, as local support is an important factor in getting rail schemes off the ground. I look forward to receiving a revised bid for the Stoke to Leek Line to the third round of the Ideas Fund which will be announced in the New Year.