‘Train Should Not be Allowed to Leave’ Carnforth
Saturday, 10th November 2007

Stephen Hammond, the Shadow Minister for Railways, visited Carnforth Station at the invitation of David Morris,the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Morecambe and Lunesdale.

The purpose of the visit was to see first hand, the site of the scheme to reconnect Carnforth Station to the North/South mainline network.

This is an important part of David Morris’s vision for this part of the Constituency and he has committed himself to achieving such an upgrade to Carnforth Station within 5 years of being elected as the new MP.

According to David, it is “imperative that Carnforth is recognised as a major destination for both Tourists and a facility for our Commuters. It is criminal that 10 years ago upon electing both a Labour MP and Government, this promised upgrade has been conveniently forgotten - but not by me”

Stephen Hammond MP was very impressed with Carnforth Station and the scheme and was delighted for the opportunity to see the site of the proposal at first hand.

The Shadow Minister commented that “the Main Line Train stops here twice a day yet takes on no passengers. It surely should not be allowed to leave without taking on passengers and this is precisely the sort of relatively small-scale proposal that would improve the Rail Network and bring the added prosperity to Carnforth”.

“A future Conservative Government would look favourably on the scheme and that David Morris would be in a position to give a political will to the proposals which Labour had promised but never delivered”.

Jim Trotman, the Tourism Manager from Lancaster City Council reported that the projected cost of the improvements would be in the region of £2million and that the benefits would soon out-way the costs.

Apart from the obvious benefits to the Carnforth hinterland, there was also the added benefit that it would cover the wider area of Carnforth, giving a better service to customers. This would enhance the possibility of more schemes like park and ride, which would benefit communities by taking traffic off the roads.

Carnforth Councillor Tony Johnson added that “Carnforth is rightly a major hub of the National Rail network and deserves this promotion to further enhance our towns status.”

—————
This news item was originally published in early October 2007, but was added to our website on the date shown above.

Add Your View | Carnforth

David: ‘I Will Fight Labour’s Plans to Silence Local People’
Thursday, 8th November 2007

David Morris has criticised new proposals from Gordon Brown’s Government to change the rules on planning and weaken the say of local communities.

Recent policies unveiled by Whitehall ministers push through controversial developments and gag local communities. Mr Morris has vowed to fight this Planning ‘White Paper’.

The White Paper includes proposals for a new centralised planning quango that will strip local communities of their say over developments such as wind farms. Its powers also include the compulsory purchase of land.

David says: “The Conservative Party is the party of local democracy and choice: any large scale application whatever it is for, has got to command local support.

“If wind power is not popular in the Lune Valley, the Labour Governments Renewable Engery obligation needs to be reviewed and reformed to offer a balanced range of alternative energy technologies. This is the answer to energy problems; not contriving new planning laws to make controversial developments easier.”

“Gordon Brown has shown his true control freak instincts by backing moves to strip local communities of their say. Labour has sided with large developers rather than the people. I will side with the voice of local communities and be accountable to you.”

—————
This news item was originally published in September 2007, but was added to our website on the date shown above.

Add Your View | Caton