Formby Hall is due to be demolished in the next few weeks. This will be a sad end to our much-loved and well-used community hub with nothing there to replace it even though Wigan Council has an obligation to provide a suitable replacement venue. The Council owes the people of Atherton an explanation as to how a building put into trust 100 years ago could ever be knocked down for commercial reasons. Formby Hall was sold by the council five years ago, along with four other venues, but Wigan Council did not ensure that the Hall would be retained as a Community Asset.
Since my election as the Member of Parliament, I have been campaigning for the regeneration of Atherton. With the loss of the swimming baths and the reduction in Library services, Atherton has been neglected by Wigan. Let’s hope that the Council listens not only to my voice but to the voice of local residents and that the newly proposed ‘strategic Master Plan’ will start to deliver the changes and improvements that our town deserves rather than being just a cosmetic public relations exercise.
There have been recent assertions that the Government is prioritising Crossrail 2 over Northern Powerhouse Rail – a railway upgrade programme which is set to vastly improve our network right across the North of England. As soon as I heard these claims, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, and I received a call from him the same day. I have personally been assured that these claims are inaccurate and that the Government is not de-prioritising investment in the North of England.
The position on Crossrail 2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail is the same - Ministers are working with Transport for London in exactly the same way as they are working with Transport for the North. Work on Crossrail 2 was started when Labour was last in government so it is a few years ahead of Northern Powerhouse Rail which was first started when the Conservatives were elected to government. Therefore, the big difference between the two projects is that investment planning for London was started by Labour and the planning and investment delivery for northern rail projects had to wait for a Conservative government.
It is disappointing how short some people’s memory is. When Labour complain about investment going to London they forget that Ruth Kelly, one of my predecessors in Bolton West, delivered the first Crossrail to London at the same time as offering a congestion charge tax as the only way to get extra investment locally.
Our Government is committed to ensuring every part of Britain benefits from investment in the railways. To this end, the Government's investment in railway infrastructure through Network Rail's Great North Rail Project will stimulate economic growth through better connections between towns and cities across the North. It will enable hundreds more trains to run each day, with more seats and faster services.
Major investment in rail infrastructure and capacity also includes the electrification of the Manchester to Liverpool line which has now been completed and the ongoing work on the Manchester to Preston line which goes through my constituency.
I have been campaigning for upgrades on all railway stations in the constituency including increased car parking facilities at Atherton station and improved services at Hag Fold station. I will also be participating in a transport summit later this month, along with other leaders across the North of England, where I will continue to make the case for more investment in our railways.
I was delighted to open a new curry house, Rama Spice, which is on Bolton Road, next to Atherton Railway Station. With employment down by a third and youth unemployment down by more than a half, it is fantastic that another new business has opened in Atherton. With excellent food and great service I am sure that many commuters will enjoy popping in after a hard day’s work.