"You Won't find a Mention of Whitby" - Councillor Blasts New 'Network North' Plan

One Whitby Councillor has expressed her frustration with the state of public transport in the town and with the Governments new transport plan.

In the week that the Prime Minister announced the cancellation of the HS2 rail link between Birmingham and Manchester and a redirection of funds to deliver a £36bn "Network North" transport project, Town Councillor Linda Wild says there is no mention of Whitby in the new plan.

Council Wild says:

"It promises that, 'Projects could include more trams for Blackpool, more electric buses in Harrogate, and better bus-rail interchange in Scarborough.'  You won’t find a mention of Whitby.

Where are the transport voices calling for broader investment in the coast?  Whitby is at the end of the line.  It’s not a very good line.  We can’t rely on the trains; we can’t rely on the buses; a better interchange here would be lovely, if there were any services to change between.  Our community is cut off. 

Better connectivity for the community and better facilities for motorists flocking to the coast would be good. 

Better charging points would be good. Better facilities for cyclists would be good. Genuinely low carbon, sustainable transport options would be good!

The rail network has forgotten Whitby, North Yorkshire Council, as the accountable transport and highways authority, is not fighting for Whitby. 

We can shout loudly from the mouth of the River Esk, but the levers of control are beyond our grasp.  Are we waiting for a York and North Yorkshire Mayor in 2024 to spread the jam thinly from the East Coast Main Line and the A1 to the eastern edge of Yorkshire?

HS2 was never about us. It looks like ‘Network North’ isn’t about us either.

Whitby needs connectivity, it is estimated that upwards of a million visitors a year flock to our lovely Town.  We need the connectivity; we want to be included in helping to achieve carbon neutral targets.  Whitby needs to be included."

Responding to the announcement of the new Government approach revealed by the PM on Wednesday, Conservative York & North Yorkshire mayoral candidate Keane Duncan said:

“Today signals a new era for Levelling Up and a turnaround moment for the future of the North - the whole North.

“Rishi is changing politics and overturning decades of missed opportunities.

“No longer will one infrastructure project be allowed to distract from all others. No longer will the big cities forever dominate while more rural areas like ours miss out.

“Rishi represents North Yorkshire. Like me, he believes in North Yorkshire. Together we are committed to delivering the road upgrades, rail links and bus services we desperately need and deserve - now, not in distant decades.”

Independent York and North Yorkshire Mayoral candidate, Keith Tordoff,said:

"HS2 has turned into a political fiasco.

There are many aspects to it, but we need to think that the original aim was to increase speed and capacity to the North.

While that need remains, the problems have come from the Government's inability to manage budgets that have raced out of control.

I have always held the view this was a vanity project and the local services should have been invested in, with the announcement from Rishi Sunak today, there is some hope that the smaller projects will happen.

We should also think of the people that have already had their homes compulsory purchased by the Government.
It highlights why it is important to have an Independent Mayor for York and North Yorkshire, who can oversee and deliver on projects.

HS2 has shown politicians are very good at spending public money but not delivering. That can be seen locally at the failed Harrogate Station Gateway project, with not a stone turned but 2 million pounds spent on consultants  - from the South.

But in summary though, the loss of faster trains, with overall greater capacity is a loss to the region. Not just North to South, but East to West. The Prime Minister has made many promises in his speech today, and there will be many watching with interest if the £36billion materialises, and how it is spent. Given the upcoming election, and the pressure that was mounting around HS2, I hope it is the right decision. made for the right reasons."

Lord McLoughlin, Chair of Transport for the North, said:

“The cancelling of the northern leg of HS2 is naturally disappointing. It’s undeniable that this will be seen by many as a missed opportunity for the region, and the country as a whole. Only last week, northern business and political leaders came together at our TfN Board to speak with ‘one voice’ to reaffirm our position that HS2 and NPR in full are vital to truly transform the North.

“The announcement of investment in the region is obviously welcome. And we will look to work with government to fully understand the implications for the North of the proposals set out today in the Prime Minister’s speech, and consult with our Board on the best way forward in light of this new change of policy. There are still quite a few areas that require further clarification from the Department for Transport, which we will be seeking from them.”

The Executive member for economy and transport for the City of York Council ,Councillor Pete Kilbane said the scaling down of HS2 has implications for other railway lines that run through Yorkshire.

“HS2 has an enormous impact on capacity for the East Coast Mainline because if it’s not built then that’s going to have to keep on carrying the strain and we are going to have to make those difficult decisions.”

“We’re hugely disappointed there’s not going to be through trains all the way to the east coast to Scarborough,” he said.

“We’ve got real concerns for the east coast holiday resorts for next summer and how all that’s going to work.”

The Governments "Network North " plan can be seen below.