MPs hail 'record investment' in city transport

A £30m fund to improve bus services is among the recent investments in Stoke-on-Trent

MPs have hailed transport projects in North Staffordshire, which they say amount to more than half a billion pounds of government spending.

Stoke-on-Trent North MP Jonathan Gullis said his party was the only one with a plan to better connect the area and fix broken roads.

Meanwhile, Stoke-on-Trent South MP Jack Brereton said plans were moving forward for flagship schemes such as Meir station and planned improvement to junction 15 of the M6.

Labour said the money promised was "simply not enough" to give the city the public transport it deserved.

Mr Gullis said the city had benefitted from £200m to repair roads, £30m to improve bus services and an additional £134m commitment spread over seven years, starting in 2025.

"Record investment since 2019 will mean better bus routes and fairer fares, more money to repair our broken roads and pavements, upgrading Kidsgrove railway station and bringing back the Stoke-Leek line," he said.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said Mr Gullis’s constituency would receive 10 times as much as it currently does to invest in local transport schemes as a result of the government’s decision to cancel HS2.

The most recent announcement is in addition to the previously announced transport investments, he said.

'Progressing well'

Those previously announced projects include a commitment to build a new station at Meir, in the Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

Mr Brereton said designs for the station were being drawn up and work should begin within 18 months.

“It is progressing very well, they’re now on the detailed design and consultation stage to make sure everything is considered, like accessibility to the station, which is important for residents living nearby,” he said.

Labour has criticised the government’s recent announcements.

Its three candidates for the next election wrote to Transport Secretary Mark Harper and said: "We are now 14 years into a Conservative government, the result of which is fewer regional and national trains servicing our city.

"We have lost hundreds of bus routes, with passenger numbers falling by millions and our roads are full of potholes."