Prime Minister announces Beeching Reversal Fund

In a speech relating to spending packages for neglected towns in the UK, the Prime Minister set out plans to finally reverse the railway spending cuts that were recommended by Dr Richard Beeching in the 1960s through the establishment of the Beeching Reversal Fund.

Through this spending, the Prime Minister will, according to the aforementioned speech, reserve a grand total of approximately £500M for the revitalisation of railways and railway stations, with a proportion of £99M being dedicated to the reinstatement of train stations in Ashington, Seaton Delaval, and Blyth in Northumberland.

Furthermore, a total of £18M will be allocated to the West Midlands where the stations of Willenhall and Darlaston will be reopened whereas, in the North West, an undisclosed amount of funding will be awarded to connect Skelmersdale to Liverpool and Manchester and an abandoned line will be revitalised to incorporate Thornton-Cleveleys and Fleetwood.

In a statement Boris Johnson, stated: “For too long, too many towns and villages across Britain have been overlooked and left behind. When the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, many communities felt their voices had been heard for the first time in decades and that their lives would improve.

“We will invest in these communities and help people put the heart back into the places they call home.”

The Director of Business and Regulation at the British Retail Consortium, Tom Ironside added: “It is essential that the next government scraps ‘downwards transition’, which costs retailers £1.3Bn, freezes next year’s rates increase, and introduces an improvement relief to encourage investment in our high streets.

“To ensure the long-term vitality of our town and city centres, the next government should follow the recommendations of the treasury select committee and commit to wholesale reform of our broken business rates system.”

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