IT’S good to see support growing for the reopening of a station at Wellington, an idea our last Lib Dem MP Jeremy Browne helped to get off the ground.

But any suggestion from the current Conservative MP that their party has done all the work (County Gazette, August 15) is utter nonsense.

The main funding body responsible for this kind of infrastructure is the Local Economic Partnership (or LEP), which has been dominated by Conservative councillors for years.

(Despite being the area’s second party Liberal Democrats were completely excluded from its Board until recently).

How much did the Conservative reps secure from the LEP for this vital local station reopening?

You’ve guessed it - precisely zero pounds sterling.

In fact, when I wrote to the LEP at the end of last year to push them to fund the project, the reply stated that the LEP had “not provided any fundng” and that the propsals have not “been the subject of bids for funding”.

The reason stated was that relevant work had not been done to make it possible.

In fact, when it comes to Taunton Deane, almost every transport project supported by the LEP is highway related.

READ MORE: Former minister praises work on Wellington train station

Now that we have two Lib Dem Leaders of councils able to take up places on the LEP Board (following the party winning the local elections in England in May) I am confident that things will move faster.

Hopefully the Wellington station project will soon feature on the LEP website with some progress to report.

If the Conservatives are going to support this now happening as well then that would be very welcome - like the new station - better late than never!

Lib Dem policy is committed to doing everything we can to prioritise rail which has the lowest carbon emissions per passenger mile of any form of transport. There is a climate emergency and nothing should stand in the way of shifting more travel from road to rail.

GIDEON AMOS
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Taunton Deane