Issue - meetings
Motion submitted by Councillor Friel - Save the Southport to Piccadilly Service
Meeting: 04/03/2021 - Council (Item 75)
75 Motion submitted by Councillor Friel - Save the Southport to Piccadilly Service 
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Save the Southport to Picadilly Service
It was moved by Councillor Friel, seconded by Councillor Myers that:
This council objects in the strongest of terms to the consultation, namely “Timetable Options to Improve Rail Performance in the North of England.” A consultation stacked against Southport.
The DfT have a full record of this following representation.
Timetable Options to Improve Rail Performance in the North of England.
The above consultation sets out three options which feature a variety of changes to service patterns, planned to be implemented from the May 2022 timetable. The three options affect a number of rail services which run across key city centre stations in Manchester - Victoria, Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly.
All 3 options are unacceptable as they remove the route from Southport to Piccadilly which was the subject of a successful campaign across political lines and with rail user groups to get this service returned, so we object strongly to a flawed consultation that does not retain this Southport to Piccadilly route within the options.
Southport has already lost the link to Manchester airport and another service cut is a blow from central government when many are working to improve the vitality of this resort town.
This Council resolves to:
request the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Transport and the Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor to point out that the current Southport to Piccadilly Service would be axed under all 3 of these proposals, despite the fact that this is probably the only line and route to have justified itself with a full business case in the last three years. Accordingly this Council requests that the Secretary of State for Transport and the Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor use every means possible to ensure retention of service.
An amendment was moved by Councillor Pugh, seconded by Councillor Dawson that the Motion be amended by the following additional paragraph being included at the end:
Puts on record its gratitude for the work of the Southport Rail Transport Forum (SRTF) and the Ormskirk and Preston’s Passenger Association for their detailed research and consistent and effective non-partisan and cross-party campaigning on this important issue.
Following debate on the amendment the Chief Legal and Democratic Officer officiated a vote and the Mayor declared the amendment was lost by 40 votes to 17 and the Motion was carried unanimously, and it was:
RESOLVED: That:
This council objects in the strongest of terms to the consultation, namely “Timetable Options to Improve Rail Performance in the North of England.” A consultation stacked against Southport.
The DfT have a full record of this following representation.
Timetable Options to Improve Rail Performance in the North of England.
The above consultation sets out three options which feature a variety of changes to service patterns, planned to be implemented from the May 2022 timetable. The three options affect a number of rail services which run across key city centre stations in Manchester - Victoria, Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly.