High Peak’s transport links and services have been at the top of our agenda this week.
On Saturday, we attended a public meeting organised by Labour’s parliamentary candidate, Jon Pearce, to support a campaign by local parents calling for cheaper fares available to students in Greater Manchester to be extended to young people from Glossop. The campaign was started by a local Mum, Vickie Sharpe, following a post on Facebook that struck a chord with hundreds of local families. We are working with many local stakeholders to solve this long-running unfairness for our young people.
This campaign coincided with the Bee Network launch in Greater Manchester. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has taken control of the bus network, meaning routes and fares can be guaranteed and the service accountable to local people. This starkly contrasts with the fragmented bus services delivered by Derbyshire County Council in High Peak.
This week has also seen a court hearing reviewing the decision to approve the Mottram bypass. We support the Mottram bypass. It is important for Mottram. But it is not the full bypass we have long campaigned for. We will continue to campaign for a solution to the congestion and pollution we suffer in Tintwistle and Glossop.
As we write this, after days of dither and delay, the Government appears to be scrapping HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester. This is very bad news for High Peak and the North. HS2 would have doubled the capacity of our rail network. This would have greatly benefited our local economy, particularly our quarries needing more capacity to move their products. It would have meant less freight on our roads and less congestion for car drivers. This is so short-sighted.
Content by: Council Leaders Anthony Mckeown and Damien Greenhalgh.
