The proudest day of my political life.

Posted By: Peter Rush
Date Posted: 17/11/2008

I am writing to welcome the decision to include the heavy rail line from Heywood to Manchester, via Castleton. This is one of the things that I have been campaigning for since I was elected to represent my hometown in 2005. This rail link will cost over £25,000,000, that’s £25,000,000 being invested in Heywood. This has not happened overnight and anyone who questioned my support for peak-only congestion charging will now know what I was up to. The cats now well and truly out of the bag.

I have been pushing for this ever since the £3 Billion plus investment was first mooted. I have met with Council Leader Alan Taylor for 9 months now to ensure that this exciting, once in a lifetime opportunity is delivered. In recent weeks we have heard comments from Jim Dobbin and Colin Lambert claiming that ‘Heywood would get nothing’ from this bid. Why would they state this? Simply that they had no idea that we would be able to deliver this for the people of Heywood.

I find it laughable that Mr Dobbin is now trying to claim credit for this decision. He claims that “Some hard campaigning and negotiating by myself and the Heywood Labour councillors appears to have paid off” I can reveal that Mr Dobbin or Labour in their blind opposition to the TIF Bid had absolutely nothing to do this. They had nothing to do with it at all and transport bosses will confirm this. The reason it has been included in this process is because Alan Taylor, the Lib Dem Leader of our Council gave an ultimatum to transport bosses about this and other issues.

I welcome the fact that Jim Dobbin and Labour have now changed their tune. I pose a simple question; Given this massive £25,000,000, unprecedented investment in Heywood. Will they now be encouraging my Heywood neighbours to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum in Heywood? Or will they stick to their previous line of opposition that will mean Heywood losing out again?

At no time have Labour suggested this rail link and I count the day that the decision was made as the proudest of my political life.