Frustration as HS3 bypasses East Midlands

A COUNCILLOR asked East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward “what are we doing?” in a passionate outburst berating the lack of transport investment in the East Midlands.

- By JOSEPH CONNOLLY

Ashfield district councillor Matthew Relf, who sits as an independent, made the comments at a meeting about transport with the East Midlands Combined County Authority.

The comments were in reference to the news that a new railway lane is to be built between Liverpool and Manchester, with the line from Manchester then being extended across Yorkshire and eventually down to Birmingham, in the 2030s.

Councillor Relf said: “I saw the news about this new rail route between Liverpool and Manchester and my heart once again sank.

“I was incredibly frustrated that once again, East Midlands’ per capita investment from central government has been on the floor for decades.

“What the heck are we doing? I don’t mean to put you on the spot, Mayor, but how can we break through that glass barrier that we seem to keep hitting against in terms of the local area?”