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Hint of peace breaking out between environmentalists and Government?
Press release from the South West Sustainable Transport Round Table.
Environmental transport campaigners, furious at the prospect of rail cuts in the south west and much more money being spent on road building, took their concerns to the Labour Party South West Conference at Weston - Super - Mare this Saturday. They hired the main hall over the lunch break and addressed delegates. Regional leaders, Labour MPs and Members of the European Parliament were amongst their audience.
Their immediate concern over rail cuts involves the recently concluded consultation on the proposed Greater Western Franchise winter timetable which discloses "swingeing cuts" they say. A new regional campaign group has been set up (with its own web site) called Save Our Train Service. The public are being urged to write to their MPs. The reduction in services may fund the road building ambitions of Wiltshire and Dorset which, they think, are backed by the Government Office of the South West despite being contrary to central Government policy. They calculate that the rail cuts proposed would amount to £180m pa and that the South West Region would be the first region in Europe expected to operate its rail system without significant government financial support.
However, Councillor Chanel Stevens, Labour Leader of the South West Regional Assembly, thinks at least as far as Labour in the South West is concerned, transport campaigners are leaning on an already open door. A favourable motion to the conference was passed the very next day.
Councillor Stevens said "Rail Services are vital to the region's economic and environmental strategies and the regeneration of our communities." "We are assured by Alistair Darling that the consultation is a genuine one and that the Department for Transport continues to be in "listening mode".
The Labour Party Conference campaigners, led by Cate Le Grice Mack (herself a member of the Regional Assembly) have pointed out that the rail cuts required by the Department for Transport include reduced services for most counties and cities in the south west, that mainline 125 trains would miss out Westbury, there would be loss of early and late services and there would be no new rolling stock for "Wessex" lines.
Cate Le Grice Mack said "We were well received at the conference. However, it would seem essential that as many people as possible write to their MPs in March and early April before final decisions are made. The region's environmental groups are providing useful information."
References -
South West Sustainable Transport Round Table http://www.swtar.co.uk/ (click on "click here for more")
Save Our Train Service Campaign http://www.saveourtrainservice.org.uk
Greater Western Franchise timetable consultation http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/franchise/en/index.php
What this means locally (.pdf file 99kb) - http://www.accesssouthwest.org/SWRA050306_01.pdf.
Wiltshire and Dorset Road Schemes http://www.westbury-wilts-bypass.info and
http://www.roadalert.org.uk/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=493
Chanel Stevens. Mobile 0777 6170030
Cate Le Grice Mack. Mobile 07764 654945
Office at South West Sustainable Transport Round Table. Richard Dixon 01749 8880426.