The Poolie Bunker

Town must be part of metro from start

I DON'T know how many people from Hartlepool attended the Proms in the Park last Saturday. I would have preferred the event to have been in Hartlepool, but it occurred in Middlesbrough.

Imagine after the event that instead of having to take your car and drive it home, or if you didn't have access to a car and had to get a bus or taxi, you could have hopped on a metro train in Middlesbrough and been back in Hartlepool within 20 minutes.
Or fast forward five years or so. There has been an expansion in the facilities at Teesport, with the result that it is recognised as the foremost Northern port in the country. There is a need for up to 8,000 jobs associated with the port, many of them coming from Hartlepool.
Imagine how easy it would be to gain employment at the port and remain living in Hartlepool by jumping on a metro train and being at work in Redcar in about half an hour.
Or fast forward again to the year 2020. North East England has the most co-ordinated and efficient light rail system anywhere in the country outside of London.
The Tees Valley Metro system has two major lines from Darlington to Saltburn on the one hand, from Hartlepool to Nunthorpe on the other.
Hartlepool is seen as a significant transport 'hub' for North East England, as it is the interchange between the Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear Metros, as well as a stop for the direct rail link to London by Grand Central Trains.
It is possible to get from Nunthorpe to the Metro Centre with relative ease, requiring only one change at Hartlepool. Our town attracts investment and jobs on the back of its status as a transport hub. The tourist industry booms because it is easy for visitors to get here and then go on to other places in the region.
These scenarios are ambitious, but I think it is important for a town in the modern world to be both positive and ambitious.
However, the great thing is that this is not in the realms of pie in the sky. These scenarios, and much more, could be possible if the Tees Valley Metro was up and running.
There is a very good chance that it could be a realistic prospect.
The business case for the Tees Valley is being firmed up at the moment. There could be a Metro service every 15 minutes, new rolling stock and upgrades to stations along the way. This could really help the area help achieve its economic potential.
The current business case states that the principal route should be the service between Darlington and Saltburn, with the prospect of the Hartlepool to Nunthorpe service coming in the future.
I think this is unacceptable – the town has to be in at the beginning, otherwise the whole scheme is not a Tees Valley Metro and should therefore be a non-starter.
Given how Hartlepool could act as a possible link between the Tees Valley and the Tyne and Wear, Hartlepool needs to be at the start.
Ease of use in terms of transport facilities is one of the key ingredients of a modern economy. Imagine what the Newcastle economy would be like without the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The direct rail link between Hartlepool and London is essential for our future economic growth – a Tees Valley Metro would help the potential prosperity of the town even more

But if it's the same as in Nottinghamshire, the vast majority of your Council Tax goes to County. I seem to remember that it's something like 80% County and 20% District.

So your cash is already in the pot.

there's talk of developing the land between Stockton and Middlesbrough as the future centre of Teesside

I think most of our money in the next few years will be going to Stephenson because a few people in town dared to oppose his 'plans'

I think most of our money in the next few years will be going to Stephenson because a few people in town dared to oppose his 'plans'