Transport Connectivity: Midlands and North Wales

Catherine Atkinson Excerpts

Thursday 22nd January 2026 Westminster Hall

[Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered transport connectivity in the Midlands and North Wales.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Furniss, and to open this debate on a subject that goes to the heart of economic opportunity, social mobility and quality of life.

Connectivity determines whether people can easily get to work, get to school and get out and about. For communities such as mine in Aldridge-Brownhills, the state of our transport links will decide whether young people can access opportunities and whether businesses can grow. Reliable transport and good connectivity are not nice-to-have extras; they are fundamental to how well off and connected our region is. Right now, we must do so much better. Today, I will focus on three areas where I believe ambition has been promised but delivery is falling short: buses, rail infrastructure and our roads.

For many people, buses are the only form of public transport available, not least in my constituency, which still does not have a single railway station. Bus fares matter, particularly for young people. If we are serious about opportunity, we cannot price young people off the network. Other regions have recognised that and acted. In Tees Valley, the Conservative mayor, Ben Houchen, introduced a £1 bus fare for everyone aged 21 and under, and it has been a clear success. It has boosted ridership and helped young people get to work, college and their apprenticeships. Wales has followed suit by rolling out £1 single fares for 16 to 21-year-olds across the country, and there are plans to extend the scheme further.

My constituents are left asking a simple question: why not the Mayor of the West Midlands? Our Labour mayor so often talks about fairness and inclusion, yet young people in our region continue to face some of the highest bus fares in the country. While other areas are cutting fares to widen opportunity, young people in my constituency are still paying full price to get to work or education.

[Catherine Atkinson (Derby North) (Lab)]

Does the right hon. Lady agree that the issue is not just fares but routes? Derbyshire had a 60% loss of bus routes in the 15 years up to 2023. Would she say that it is hugely disappointing that for such a long time, most of which was under her party’s Government, bus routes have been slashed?

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[Amanda Hack (North West Leicestershire) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Ms Furniss. I thank the right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Wendy Morton) for bringing forward this important debate on transport in the midlands—which is one of my favourite subjects, so I had to be here for it. I represent North West Leicestershire, so my focus will inevitably be on the east midlands.

My constituency is at the heart of the national forest, and East Midlands airport rests at the very top of it. However, in tune with other semi-rural constituencies, we have no passenger rail at all, and a pretty poor level of bus connectivity. As North West Leicestershire is also not in the East Midlands combined county authority, it will not directly benefit from the financial settlement allocated to the city regions, so I would welcome the Minister’s view on how the areas within the midlands that are not covered by devolution can get their fair share of transport connectivity.

Before I came to this place I sat on the highways and transport committee at Leicestershire county council. I know at first hand how poor transport funding has been under the last Conservative Government, including in Leicestershire, with 62% of services being cut in my constituency alone. As a county councillor, I lost count of the number of notifications of bus service changes I received, which included cuts. Bit by bit, those changes cut off public transport access to healthcare, college, work and leisure.

Through new funding, thanks to our Government and our clear commitment to public services, we can restore some of that, although it can be frustratingly difficult to liaise with our county colleagues to get the changes in services that our communities desperately need. It still feels disjointed and patchy, and I know the issue will not be solved overnight.

In 2023-24, the east midlands had the lowest transport spending per head of the population at just £368 per person, compared with the UK average spend of £687 and the London spend of £1,313. Between 2019 and 2024, research shows that the east midlands received £10.8 billion less in funding than it would if it had been allocated just at the average, not at the London level.

[Catherine Atkinson]

My hon. Friend is very effectively making an important point. As she has set out, between 2019 and 2024, the Conservative Government gave the east midlands a quarter of the funding that they gave to London and half of what they gave to England on average, and I know that her area does not benefit from the £2 billion that our brilliant East Midlands Mayor Claire has secured for transport. Does my hon. Friend agree that if our regional transport was more equal, it would create more prosperity, economic growth, social equality and regional development?

[Amanda Hack]

The economic benefit of effective and connected transport is there for us to see. Having never worked in London before, it always surprises me how easy it is to get to places—if a bus or train gets cancelled, it is fine, because there is one five minutes away. If a bus gets cancelled in my constituency, people need to get a taxi or they will not get home. That is the inequality that we see.

What does this issue mean in my constituency? Around 87.4% of households in North West Leicestershire have access to one car or van, compared with 61% in Manchester and 22% here in London. With the lack of available and reliable public transport, more people are forced to rely on personal transport, thereby increasing the volume of cars and vans on our roads. That also has a devastating impact.

Some 80% of east midlands commuters drive, and the average number of rail journeys per resident is just seven per year, which is half the rate of the west midlands and a third of the east of England. In fact, East Midlands airport has the highest proportion of travellers getting there by car, at 91%, which is mainly down to it having the lowest connectivity of all airports across the UK. We have to think about transport connectivity—railways, buses—and how we get to our airports.

North West Leicestershire has not had a passenger rail service since the Ivanhoe line closed there in the ’60s. My constituency relies heavily on buses, but I will say much more about the Ivanhoe line next week in a dedicated debate on the subject.

I have done a little research on how my constituents get to their nearest train station. From Coalville, the station is about 12 miles away, and it would take an hour on public transport to get to Loughborough or Leicester—far too long; it would be about 30 minutes by car. It would also take about an hour to get from Ashby-de-la-Zouch to Burton train station, but that would include more than one bus, which could be problematic for travellers, who are really reluctant to take multi-bus journeys because one of the buses might fail to come. Residents in Kegworth have the most convenient public transport journey to a train station—to Loughborough, which takes just 36 minutes. However, East Midlands Parkway train station is only a few minutes by car.

We are massively underserved as a result of this connection problem between rail and buses. The fact is that my constituents have to make ridiculous, non-efficient journeys just to get where they need to be. I would welcome the Minister’s view on how the difficulties of connecting communities are a real barrier to growth, as my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson) mentioned in her intervention.

My constituents tell me that they are driving to get to the train station anyway, often in the wrong direction, so they might as well continue by car to their destination and avoid getting on the train altogether. That means more cars on our roads and more pressure on our road network.

Obviously, I have given simple examples, but I want to think about what the situation means for my constituents when they are trying to get to work, school or hospital. Accessible, efficient, reliable public transport should not be a luxury; it should not be a postcode lottery, but that is what it seems to be. When I meet young people across my constituency, they tell me that the public transport situation is a huge barrier to getting the training opportunities—the apprenticeships and classes—that they want and deserve.

Recently, a resident of Ashby-de-la-Zouch got in touch about their daughter’s problems in getting to college in Loughborough. I thought it would be useful to share their words:

“The number of buses are extremely limited and this results in her leaving the house at 06.30 am and not returning until 7 pm with several hours waiting in and around bus stops”

—for a girl of 16, that is not ideal.

“Secondly, the service has on multiple occasions failed to turn up and left her in Loughborough without a way of getting home other than hoping my wife or myself are able to pick her up.”

When a young person is trying their best to get their life on track, the very last thing we should be doing is putting additional hurdles in front of them. Yet for too many, transport—or the lack of it—becomes a deciding factor in whether they can engage in their chosen education at all.

If we get transport connectivity right, the impact on individuals, families and the long-term prosperity of our regions can be transformational. I cannot continue to accept a situation in which my constituency has an international airport yet has no passenger rail and such poor bus services.

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[Simon Lightwood]

I have a lot to get through, and I would really like to respond to the right hon. Member’s points in due course.

Exciting progress is already visible because this Government is backing Mayor Richard Parker’s plans. Metro extensions, new rail stations, the Dudley Interchange and a new active travel corridor are transforming connectivity for millions across the region. Connectivity, however, does not stop at mayoral boundaries. Through the consolidated transport fund, all local transport authorities will benefit from more predictable, flexible and aligned funding. More than £1.3 billion will be delivered across the west midlands by 2029-30 to strengthen the links between our towns, cities and rural areas.

To embed this investment, we will soon set out the integrated national transport strategy, mentioned by the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire (Greg Smith). It is a people-centred approach that recognises that different regions face different challenges. It will focus on reliability, safety and accessibility, and closer alignment between transport, housing, healthcare and public services, ensuring that connectivity supports equality and opportunity for everyone.

We are the country that created the railways, and they are an iconic part of the heritage of the west midlands. Through Great British Railways, we are building a simpler, more unified railway that delivers reliable, safe and better-value journeys for local people, putting local priorities front and centre to deliver what communities actually need. In that context, the midlands rail hub is a clear example of how targeted rail investment underpins economic growth and housing delivery.

[Catherine Atkinson]

Will my hon. Friend give way?

[Simon Lightwood]

I am going to stay consistent. Members have made a lot of points, and I would like to respond to them. I have a lot to cover.

In July 2025, the Chancellor committed to progressing to the next stage of the midlands rail hub. Once delivered, it will enable up to 300 additional trains each day to travel in and out of central Birmingham, as well as improving services at 50 stations, transforming regional connectivity and providing the capacity needed to unlock sustainable growth.

The right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills will know the difficult decision this Government inherited on HS2. Past mismanagement had led to significant cost increases and delays. Nevertheless, this Government have taken decisive action to reset the programme and progress delivery at the lowest reasonable cost. Recognising the importance of strengthening connectivity between the west midlands and the north-west, on 14 January, as part of our plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail, we set out our long-term intention to deliver a full, new rail line between Birmingham and Manchester.

I appreciate that taking this responsible, long-term decision on future capacity needs on the west coast main line will prolong the uncertainty for residents and businesses along the route. We will listen to the concerns of businesses, residents and hon. Members when making decisions about land powers, and we will work with them, and with HS2, to ensure that we minimise the disruption to people’s lives as far as possible. I understand that a number of affected hon. Members are meeting the Secretary of State and the Rail Minister next week to discuss this issue, and I thank them for raising some of those concerns today.

We also recognise that railways in Wales have seen lower levels of enhancement spending in recent years, and we are taking action to put that right. The 2025 spending review and infrastructure strategy recognised Wales’s long-term infrastructure needs and committed to delivering at least £445 million of rail enhancements to realise them. That funding will invest in both north and south Wales, fixing level crossings, building new stations and upgrading existing lines. The plans for future rail investment in Wales are being made in close consultation with the Welsh Government, who will be consulted ahead of the next spending review so that Wales’s long-term infrastructure needs continue to be recognised.

We also recognise the interest of the right hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills in open-access applications for Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway. Open access will continue to have a role in the reformed rail sector, and we understand the potential connectivity benefits that the Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway proposals could deliver. We have provided conditional support for that application, subject to the ORR and Network Rail being satisfied that services can be accommodated without compromising network performance or adversely affecting the rights of other operators.

Buses remain the backbone of public transport, and they are the everyday lifelines that keep our communities connected. The Bus Services Act puts passengers firmly in control, driving better services and stronger local accountability. From ’26-27, over £3 billion in funding will boost local services nationwide, including £700 million in local authority bus grants. The west midlands alone will receive £264 million to improve reliability, coverage and affordability. For the first time, our funding formula recognises rurality, ensuring that isolated and underserved communities get the support they need.

Cars are, of course, the most common and dependable way for people to get around. Well-maintained road networks keep our economy moving and daily life running smoothly. By ’29-30, we will be investing over £2 billion every year in local road maintenance, which is double what we inherited. That will give councils four-year certainty over their funding, so that they can shift from patching up potholes to making sure—

[Catherine Atkinson]

According to the RAC, Derbyshire has the worst potholes in the country. East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward has announced £121 million for road maintenance, which is a 60% uplift on last year’s funding. But with Reform in control of the county council, the number of potholes in Derbyshire is still absolutely abysmal. With both our mayor and our Government giving the funding that is needed, how can we ensure that local authorities such as Reform-led Derbyshire county council actually get on and fill our potholes?

[Simon Lightwood]

My hon. Friend is right to recognise the historic levels of funding going into local areas, which are almost doubling by the end of this Parliament. We increased funding this year from £1.1 billion to £1.6 billion, which came with conditions about publishing transparency reports on their websites. The multi-year funding that we have announced will also come with some conditions and incentives, to make sure that we turn the attention of local authorities from just patching those potholes—going back to fill them again and again is not a good use of taxpayers’ money—to preventing them from forming in the first place and ensuring that we fully resurface roads. That accountability will be there for all our constituents to see where the council is or is not doing its job. If it does not spend the money, we will pass it on to a local authority that will.

To come back to a point raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson), we are providing the East Midlands combined county authority with £2 billion through the transport for city regions fund, with the east midlands receiving £450 million from the local transport block. That means the east midlands will receive significantly more local transport funding per head than the England average in the coming years—£561 per person against an average of £391.