North Herefordshire MP hits out over loss of station funding

Local MP Ellie Chowns has slammed the Government’s decision to cancel funding to make a Herefordshire railway station more accessible.

The North Herefordshire Green MP said she was “incredibly disappointed” at the decision not to progress the Ledbury station improvement project under the national Access for All programme.

“Ledbury residents have made it clear they desperately need step-free access to both platforms of the station,” she said.

“This is something I have campaigned on throughout my time in Parliament, having previously raised it in the House and written to the Minister on the topic.”

On Thursday, rail minister Lord (Peter) Hendy told the Commons that the previous Conservative government had “announced feasibility work on 50 stations without indicating how the delivery of such schemes would be funded, raising significant stakeholder expectations”.

With these projects now having been reviewed based on criteria of passenger volumes, geographical spread, existing development work and third-party funding, eight including four in Merseyside will now “progress directly to delivery”.

A further 23 – again, none are in the West Midlands – will “progress to detailed design”, the Minister said.

But Ledbury was among the remaining 19 projects, along with Small Heath, Dudley Port and Whitchurch also in the West Midlands, which “will not be progressing at this point”.

Lord Hendy, who previously chaired National Rail, offered to meet with MPs representing the 19 on the list to explain the Government’s decision.

Dr Chowns said: “I will be taking up the Minister’s offer to meet to seek a full explanation on why Ledbury station was not selected to progress, and I will keep fighting to secure the investment Ledbury needs so the station is accessible to everyone who needs it.”

Ledbury councillor Liz Harvey, who leads Herefordshire Council’s Independents for Herefordshire group, said residents from town and surrounding area “have been waiting for years to have addressed the shameful lack of full access to the eastbound platform at the station”.

“Clearly it’s not access for all – just for some,” she said.

And she challenged the minister “to come to Ledbury and use a wheelchair to take a train back to London”.