Can the Leader explain, to the residents and communities who would be severely and detrimentally impacted by the proposed new line, her decision to sign a letter backing East West Rail?
Minutes:
Can the Leader explain to the residents and communities who would be severely and detrimentally impacted by the proposed new line, her decision to sign a letter backing East West Rail?
Councillor Bridget Smith read a statement from the Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats:
“The Liberal Democrats in Cambridgeshire have been lobbying for the reinstatement of an East-West rail link for 50 years. The only thing that has changed in that time is the urgency with which we need to give people viable alternatives to the car in order to cut journey times, reduce our very high carbon emissions and help people with the escalating cost of living. East-West rail is a Government scheme being delivered by a private company resulting in poor accountability and very little transparency and it’s been an enormous frustration that the Government has kept residents completely in the dark for years about their intentions. This is a pitiful way of delivering a major piece of public transport infrastructure. The two recent letters signed by all local council leaders, the universities and key business organisations to the Secretary of State and to the Chancellor were intended to pressure the Government to come clean and make its position clear, so that we can start to plan for a low carbon, low cost of living future for our region. We made it absolutely clear before May’s election that we support the principle of a rail link and a station serving Cambourne because it is only by providing really good quality public transport that we enable all people to travel easily to work, to have equal access to opportunities to reduce the reliance on cars, reduce the consequential air pollution, reduce carbon emissions, reduce the congestion and the increased cost of living. Cambourne was built without any associated public transport infrastructure and residents will benefit hugely when this deficit is addressed. However, we are reserving judgement on the final route alignment and the location of the station because we do have grave concerns about the environmental impact of the whole scheme and especially the impact on villages close to a new station along the route and additionally, we believe a new station must be readily accessible by cycle or by foot for the majority of residents of Cambourne and the surrounding villages. Furthermore, it’s absolutely essential that a railway line fit for the twenty-first century is electrified and the Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats will continue to campaign for that.”
Councillor Dr Richard Williams stated that the letter sent to the Chancellor referred to Cambridge’s growth but not the impact the line would have on the District’s villages and the residents’ concerns. He asked how the Leader could sign a letter supporting a scheme that did not have a published business case and that residents had not been consulted on.
Councillor Bridget Smith explained that the Government had proposed this scheme to generate growth. The local councils, universities and businesses needed clarity from the Government on whether it would fund an East-West rail line and invest in the region. This was the purpose of the letter. Until this was provided there was little point in further discussion. Councillor Smith confirmed that she did have concerns regarding the possible impact on the District’s villages but the letter had to be concise and so not mention this.