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Published on: 21/06/2018 05:43 AMReported by: roving-eye
Southport rail users treated with "utter contempt" says Labour's Liz as "leaked" emails reveal Govt. plans.
Department for Transport officials and the government knew of potential problems facing Northern Rail two years before the current chaos and treated Southport and its rail users with disdain, Labour has claimed.
The accusation comes after emails obtained by Labour MP Lisa Nandy show that issues anticipated by the government's rail plans were already recognised in 2015 and that a misinformation campaign was suggested to alleviate fears and distract from closures.
A series of emails released to the Wigan MP via a Freedom of Information request show that Southport to Leeds was not viewed as a "valued" key route but was agreed to as "a sop" to try and placate local residents who were to lose the Piccadilly/Airport route. Despite claims by the government within the last few months appearing to suggest otherwise, the emails also state that:
" Diversion of the Southport to Victoria is a pretty much inevitable consequence of our specification".
Perhaps the most revealing and damning comment on the situation is advice from DfT officials on implenenting a "classic handling strategy" to minimise adverse reaction to the closures:
"Propagate the myth that the service is closing entirely, then people will rejoice at the news that it is merely being diverted to Victoria".
The email was then signed off "yours cynically" by the official.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Lisa Nandy accused the government of withholding information saying:
"The government has said that Network Rail didn't deliver and Northern wasn't prepared... I have been handed emails from within DfT that show that ministers and officials were warned of impending chaos as long ago as two years ago. These emails are a disgrace."
She challenged the Prime Minister to comment on the situation but Theresa May refused, believing the correspondence was leaked, despite it being released via the FOI procedure.
The DfT has denied any prior knowledge of the timetabling issues currently causing so many problems but Labour's Parliamentary candidate for Southport, Liz Savage, says at the very least the emails reveal just how poorly Southport has been served by the government and its officials:
"It's no good the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Southport's Tory MP Damien Moore posturing on this issue. They have been quick to try and point the blame at Northern Rail and Network Rail but it's clear that the government is neck deep in this quagmire and has treated Southport and its residents with utter contempt. Our case for renationalising the railways grows stronger by the day."
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Our MP and his worthless superior Grayling show once again that you can't believe anything that comes out of the mouth of a Politician. He brings Grayling up here to bluster and lie about saving the Southport-Piccadilly/Airport service knowing full well it was going, he even had the audacity to push a leaflet full of lies through everyone's door proclaiming the success they have had in "SAVING" the service.
To all you who voted for this shambles of an excuse for a Government HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. And I hope you ALL work in Manchester.
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Even the Victoria service is not secure, within two years if they still have the franchise they will have walked away from routes they no longer believe viable or don't want to run.
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Damien Moore and Chris Grayling have done little but try to point the finger at Northern Rail and Network Rail when it's clear the Govt is just as bound up in this mess as they are... and Govt/DfT attitude towards Southport is shocking - "utter contempt" is actually being kind to them.
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This is the inevitable result of turning a service into a business, where the desire for profit exceeds the need to provide that service, this government and the entire privatised public sector don't give a toss for the taxpayer or the users of that service, this is endemic throughout this country, the general public don't matter just so long as the fat cats and the financial sector keep rolling in the cash, vote Tory, get ripped off, simple really.
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It would be helpful to know when this 'leaked' information came to the attention of MP Lisa Nandy? Obviously, they were written before the present Government came into power and long before Damien Moore took his position. If MP Lisa Nandy had obtained this information recently, does that mean that she too, was unconcerned about the rail services, until it was shown that D.Moore was actively attempting to improve these services, which have been of concern for several years in Southport and other districts along that line? Southport people have long been asking for the line to be electrified. Labour or for that matter, any other councillor having a sincere regard for Southport and its people could have acted on this issue years ago - how is it that we had to wait for Mr. Moore to attempt to do something?
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Originally Posted by said
It would be helpful to know when this 'leaked' information came to the attention of MP Lisa Nandy? Obviously, they were written before the present Government came into power and long before Damien Moore took his position. If MP Lisa Nandy had obtained this information recently, does that mean that she too, was unconcerned about the rail services, until it was shown that D.Moore was actively attempting to improve these services, which have been of concern for several years in Southport and other districts along that line? Southport people have long been asking for the line to be electrified. Labour or for that matter, any other councillor having a sincere regard for Southport and its people could have acted on this issue years ago - how is it that we had to wait for Mr. Moore to attempt to do something?
The giveaway will be the dates of the emails Oct 2015 and Feb 2016. Be grateful for you to point out were Mr Moore has insisted on the electrification of the line as I can't find it.
Nevertheless Mr Moore is hindered in anything he does by the fact that the current Sec of State for Transport is Chris Grayling who has proved to be an incompetent in every Dept he's had the misfortune to be involved in
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Originally Posted by said
It would be helpful to know when this 'leaked' information came to the attention of MP Lisa Nandy? ... to wait for Mr. Moore to attempt to do something?
Marvin, once again, there is no "we" in this .. you do not live in Southport... which might well explain why, once again, you display a total lack of awareness of the situation... btw, the only thing Damien Moore has tried to do is blame Northern Rail when it is painfully obvious that the Govt is just as culpable and the emails clearly show the appalling attitude that is a big part of the problem.... and as has been noted above, the dates are on the emails... so "obviously" they were not written before the current govt came to power - try reading articles properly for once hey?
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Originally Posted by said
It would be helpful to know when this 'leaked' information came to the attention of MP Lisa Nandy? Obviously, they were written before the present Government came into power and long before Damien Moore took his position. If MP Lisa Nandy had obtained this information recently, does that mean that she too, was unconcerned about the rail services, until it was shown that D.Moore was actively attempting to improve these services, which have been of concern for several years in Southport and other districts along that line? Southport people have long been asking for the line to be electrified. Labour or for that matter, any other councillor having a sincere regard for Southport and its people could have acted on this issue years ago - how is it that we had to wait for Mr. Moore to attempt to do something?
Clearly these e-mails are during the current administration, Moore's only contribution is to try to continue the myth that Tories actually give a damn and claim to be taking some action, he has possibly missed that many local politicians have been campaigning vigorously as regards rail services in the North West, Moore has not done or even attempted to do anything constructive, merely spout off about something he can do little and probably knows even less.
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