Call to hand over rail funds refused

A KEY member of Sir Keir Starmer's team has rejected a plea from Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and other Northern leaders to hand them control of a funding pot to make the region's railway stations more accessible.

- By GRAEME WHITFIELD Northern Agenda editor

In a letter to Mr Burnham, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said there was currently "no prospect" of the North's share of the Access for All (AfA) funding scheme being devolved from central government to local authorities.

This comes two months after Mr Burnham asked the Department for Transport to end the "centralised decision-making" over which stations get vital funding to make them easier to use for passengers with disabilities or mobility issues.

The mayor - who's been heavily criticised by Labour MPs over his perceived leadership ambitions in recent weeks - wrote in September in his capacity as chair of Transport for the North's Rail North Committee which scrutinises local train services.