Midland Main Line investment key to local economic growth

Key council leaders and chairs of the newly formed ‘local enterprise partnerships’  (LEPs) have united to support proposals to upgrade and electrify the Midland Main Line in a joint letter to Chancellor George Osborne and Business Secretary Vince Cable.

The letter has been signed by a group of 12 council leaders and LEP chairs from across the East Midlands and South Yorkshire:

·         Cllr David Parsons CBE (Leader of Leicestershire County Council),

·         Cllr Rory Palmer (Deputy Mayor of Leicester),

·         Andrew Bacon (Chair, Leicester & Leicestershire LEP)

·         Cllr Jon Collins (Leader of Nottingham City Council),

·         Cllr Andrew Lewer (Leader of Derbyshire County Council),

·         Cllr Philip Hickson (Leader of Derby City Council),

·         Cllr Kay Cutts (Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council)

·         Colin Walton (Chair of D2N2 LEP)

·         Cllr Jim Harker (Leader of Northamptonshire County Council)

·         Paul Southworth (Chair, Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership)

·         Cllr Julie Dore (Leader of Sheffield City Council)

·         James Newman (Chair of Sheffield City Region LEP)

The council leaders and LEP chairs are calling on the Government to include rail industry proposals to upgrade and electrify the midland main line in the next 5 year investment plan (2014-19), to be announced in July 2012. 

The letter follows a well attended ‘adjournment debate’ on the Midland Main Line led by Nicky Morgan MP (Loughborough), which took place in the House of Commons on the 16 April 2012.

The joint letter can be found here.