MP Alleges Mayor’s Insincerity Regarding New Station Funding

A Member of Parliament has leveled an accusation against the West Midlands mayor, describing his conduct as “disingenuous” concerning the financing of a new railway station situated in her constituency. Wendy Morton, the Conservative representative for Aldridge-Brownhills, asserted that Richard Parker, the region’s Labour mayor, never intended to ensure the completion of the proposed station in Aldridge by 2027. Her remarks followed a review of the region’s transport initiatives, which Parker had commissioned. The review revealed that plans for the station, with an estimated cost of £30m, had only secured £3.6m in funding. Parker stated that it was evident the necessary funding was not secured and the business case requirements had not been fulfilled. Speaking to BBC Politics Midlands, Morton declared: “The mayor is being so disingenuous on this, because we did secure the £30m, it’s in the public domain – the money was there.” She further claimed that Parker had “never once” consulted with her, alleging that the review was “set out to make the case against Aldridge Station”. Morton expressed her disagreement with the mayor’s comments that a viable business case was absent. She also asserted that Parker was seeking “extra funding” for his project aimed at bringing buses back under public control through a franchise model. “Aldridge, from the outset, has been one of those places that he does not want to deliver on time by 2027,” she stated. When questioned about the planned new station in Aldridge, the mayor responded that the issue was clearly outlined in the report prepared by independent consultants. He commented: “What is pretty clear is the funding wasn’t in place but more importantly that project has not currently met the business case requirements that it would need for that investment to take place.”