Conservative Leader brands Todmorden Curve motion as 'boring'

Great Harwood Labour Councillors Noordad Aziz and Kerry Molineux submitted a motion to full Council on Thursday 26th June requesting that HBC put pressure on the Department of Transport to provide trains and carriages (rolling stock) for the newly refurbished Todmorden Curve.

The rail line is now re-opened after decades of disuse and provides a direct link between Accrington and Manchester for the first time in years but the DoT have not ensured that there are any vehicles to use and now it looks unlikely that there will be trains in service until the start of 2015.

Cllr Tim O'Kane observed that the new rail link does not currently travel through any Conservative constituencies which may be the reason for the delay.

But Leader of the Conservatives, Cllr Peter Britcliffe, talked throughout the motion and commented, "This is boring, has the timer not gone yet? A new train line? You don't know what you're talking about." He indicated that the Todmorden Curve rolling stock was his idea and that Labour were simply jumping on the bandwagon.

However, Cllr Britcliffe was present for a Labour press photo call in the Accrington Observer calling for immediate provision of trains and Cllr Kerry Molineux stood up to say that the option was there for him to have brought the motion to Council himself, yet he had failed to do so.

The motion was voted for by all Labour members and can be read here:

Motion to Council 1 - 26th June 2014