Rail Connectivity

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Friday 19th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Jo Platt]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. This is not just about my area; it is about connections to all our towns and cities, particularly in the north.

It is outrageous that the Government have only given TfN the powers to prepare a strategy and provide advice, and no power to implement such a strategy. That power still lies with the Secretary of State. Labour would give TfN those powers, but the Conservative Government are treating the north with characteristic contempt by failing to match our offer. However, within the detail of TfN’s plans, I was pleased to see Leigh listed as a major economic centre in the middle of four strategic corridors. The Government’s lack of support for TfN has hampered its ability to set out detailed transport plans, but I hope that when those plans arrive, they will lead to the transport improvements that we need in Leigh.

I have also received a letter from Transport for Greater Manchester this week stating its commitment to review the current lack of rail connectivity in Leigh, which I also welcome. However, following meetings with both TfGM and TfN recently, I have identified two key problems with the relationship between our regional transport bodies and the Government. First, I am concerned that investment from the Government is based on responding to growth rather than creating it. We cannot continue with this failed approach to investment that focuses on areas of existing growth without preparing our towns for the economy of the future.

Secondly, as I will discuss later, the Government are failing in their obligation to adequately fund these bodies. Therefore, TfN’s 30-year plan must ensure that our post-industrial towns are carried with the growth of our northern cities. Leigh was at the heart of the first industrial revolution, and we must now act to ensure that its residents are not merely spectators in the so-called fourth industrial revolution.

Poor rail connectivity is also having a direct impact on social mobility in our towns. The Social Mobility Commission recently concluded in its “State of the Nation” report that the

“worst performing areas for social mobility are no longer inner city areas, but remote rural and coastal areas, and former industrial areas”.

These outer towns such as Leigh are becoming ever more disconnected from our booming cities, and the commission subsequently placed Leigh in the lower rank of constituencies.

[Bambos Charalambous (Enfield, Southgate) (Lab)]

In my constituency, the extension of the London underground to Cockfosters allowed the area to flourish almost a century ago. Does my hon. Friend agree that transport connectivity is vital for social mobility and essential if an area is to grow and flourish?

[Jo Platt]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are naming transport as one of the key indicators for social mobility. There are obviously many others, but transport connectivity is much needed.

Infrastructure is letting down the young people of Leigh. Despite their dedication and hard work, they are struggling to gain the necessary education, skills and employment to remain competitive. They are being let down, and to realise why we only need to read Alan Milburn’s letter of resignation as chair of the Social Mobility Commission. He wrote that the Government

“is understandably focused on Brexit and does not seem to have the necessary bandwidth to ensure that the rhetoric of healing social division is matched with the reality. I do not doubt”—

the Prime Minister’s—

“personal belief in social justice, but I see little evidence of that being translated into meaningful action.”

There is no greater example of this than Leigh, which is in urgent need of investment today—not after our Brexit negotiations or in 20, 30 or 40 years’ time, but today. For the young people growing up in outer towns, we are talking about their futures. There are simply no second chances for them. Unless we act urgently to improve our nation’s connectivity, we are at serious risk of leaving behind a forgotten generation of young people who are unable to access the employment and education opportunities offered in our cities.

That brings me on to the specific transport situation that we face in Leigh. As a thriving town situated between Manchester and Liverpool, with nearby Warrington and Merseyside providing key employment and educational opportunities, transport is clearly critical to my constituents, and yet our town has no rail connectivity whatsoever. Indeed, we are the fifth largest town in the country with no rail connectivity.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the recent transport investment that Leigh has received. The guided busway into Manchester has proved to be a superb project, exceeding expectations, reducing journey times into Manchester and proving the importance of strategic investment into our town. However, the busway does not assist those travelling to work outside the city. For example, one constituent got in touch with me this week to tell me that his journey to work, which takes 40 minutes by car, is a two and a half hour journey by bus. Another constituent, Lynn, highlighted the impact on businesses, saying that if a customer wants to visit her shop from further afield by train, they get put off by having to use the bus for the final leg. The impact is felt not only by our young or our businesses. Cuts to public transport and the process of deregulation of our bus services have a huge impact on our most vulnerable and older people, and that impact cannot be overstated.

Rail connectivity cannot be happen on its own. There must be seamless integrated connectivity with road networks, cycle lanes and other public transport. Reducing congestion, noise and air pollution is also an important aspect of addressing detrimental health outcomes in our less-connected towns. While Leigh is an amazing constituency in which to live, perfectly situated as it is between many northern cities, a great place to bring up a family with its good and outstanding schools, and the fertile ground for businesses to invest, without efficient and comprehensive transport connectivity we are being held back. We are restricting business and economic growth, employment opportunities, and the life chances of our young people. Now is the time to act because, despite the Government’s best efforts, the northern powerhouse cannot succeed unless our towns are positioned as the engine of northern growth.

I anticipate that the Minister will respond by placing the weight of responsibility on regional transport bodies in the north and will insist, rightly, that it is for local bodies to determine the transport needs for local areas. However, the Government have not been funding those bodies adequately to allow investment in the medium to large projects that will mark the much-needed step change in our transport connectivity. Passing the buck to regional bodies, without giving them the resources to deliver, shows exactly how this Government treat the north: without any concern or ambition for the region to succeed.

When talking about the north’s transport woes, the Government must understand that the Opposition are not talking about an extra bus here and a new route there—that simply will not cut it. If the Government are serious about putting the passenger first, they must transform how they invest in all infrastructure, creating seamless connectivity. We need a total revolution in our approach to transport and infrastructure spending. We need the Government to commit to prioritising areas of poor social mobility and to invest in their infrastructure, bringing their local economies into the 21st century and making sure that no town is left behind.