Following the announcement that the East Riding will receive an unprecedented £168 million to invest in local transport, Graham wants to give local people a say in how that money is spent.
The £168,269,000, which is to be spent over seven years from 2025-2032, has to be spent by the East Riding of Yorkshire Councillors in consultation with local MPs.
Graham will be fighting to make sure that money goes to local projects which will really make a difference and has set up a survey to give people the chance to champion transport investment ideas to improve their towns and villages.
Graham has been active in bringing transport investment to Beverley and Holderness over the past eighteen years: from halving tolls at the Humber Bridge to getting more bus services from Withernsea to Hull; from obtaining the extension of £2 bus fares through to landing £2.4 million to fix potholes and making progress on the plan for a new rail link between York and Hull.
This project blows other transport investment in the area out of the water. The largest Government capital investment in the East Riding to date is £40 million to support upgrading the Jock’s Lodge Junction.
Graham’s survey asks where his constituents would like to see the investment go – whether on more rural buses, road safety or a bypass at Preston to name but a few ideas.
He would like to see local groups set up, following the example of the Minsters Rail Campaign, which has long worked with Graham to push for a new York to Hull Rail Link. This succeeded in receiving £50,000 from the Restoring Your Railway Fund in October 2021. He will support these groups make the case to the Council in future.
Graham will be meeting with Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Cllr Anne Handley, to press for Beverley and Holderness’s right to its fair share.
Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart said: “Beverley and Holderness’s share of the £168 million could transform transport in Beverley and Holderness, and I want to make sure this money goes towards transport projects people really want.
“So my ask to the people of Beverley and Holderness is: what might you do with our share of the money? And can you help deliver it for your area?
“This investment is truly once-in-a-generation, and I’m determined that this money transforms transport in Beverley and Holderness.”
Roy Begg Project Manager of Minsters Rail Campaign said, “It is great news to hear the East Riding Council will be receiving funding to invest in transport projects.
“The York to Hull via Beverley railway would be transformational for the region unlocking the huge potential of the towns along the route and shaping the region for the future.
“We hope the council will invest in the project, and help take it to the next stage, making the case for the railway rock solid.
“Graham has long been a friend of the Minsters Rail Campaign, and we know he’ll make the case for this railway line to the Council.”
