Conservative Group Leader Cllr Chris Steward has hit out at Labour's decision to scrap plans to reopen Haxby Railway Station and called out York Outer's Labour MP for misleading voters during the general election campaign after declaring his support for the project over a dozen times.
After closing nearly one-hundred years ago, Haxby Railway Station was set to reopen after successful bids to the Conservative Government's Restoring Your Railway Fund. With this funding, detailed plans have been drawn up and City of York Council has purchased land on Towthorpe Lane. Then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited the site in February to announce full funding for the station setting the goal of the first train stopping at Haxby by the end of 2025.
With the Restoring Your Railway Fund now scrapped, it is unlikely Haxby Railway Station will reopen with local Labour representatives remaining silent on their Government's decision.
Speaking after Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves' decision to scrap funding for Haxby Railway Station, Cllr Steward said:
Once again, Labour has been caught out offering false promises to voters to get elected. Despite promising residents in the north of York dozens of time that this key project would be in safe hands if they were in government, it has taken them less than a month to scrap funding.
What is even worse is local Labour leaders have not even had the decency to face voters and offer them an explanation. We are still to hear from the Labour Council, the York Outer MP and the Labour Mayor. Proof that residents in York have no real representation if a decision by the Labour Government is not in the best interests of our city.
The Conservatives were ready to deliver Haxby Railway Station and had the funding in place. We will keep campaigning for Haxby Railway Station; as well as holding the new government to account as it is clear none of our city's MPs are willing to do so
