Extract from Business
Questions
(Darlington)
(Con): Darlington is the birthplace of the modern railway,
and I am of the view that Darlington is the best place for the
new headquarters of Great British
Railways It just makes sense—it is where it all
began. Given that there is huge interest across the House, from
42 locations across the United Kingdom, to be the home
of Great British
Railways and given that many MPs representing
those constituencies have already held Adjournment debates and
Westminster Hall debates, may I ask my right hon. Friend to find
Government time for a debate on all those amazing locations, so
that we can extol the virtues of our respective bids?
Mr Speaker: I have been told that it is going to
Preston.
Leader of the House (): I thank my hon. Friend
for his question. He is a strong champion for Darlington and I
commend him for his campaigning, which is building up quite a
head of steam. [Hon. Members: “Groan!”] Oh, there is more to
come! Indeed, I have been told that he has mentioned Darlington’s
bid for the HQ to be sited in his constituency more than any
other Member has referenced theirs. I am sure that his efforts
are going a long way to keeping the bid on track, and that such a
debate would be heavily subscribed by Members from across the
House.
Government observations
on a Petition about Great British Railways
Great British Railways headquarters
The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that Carnforth would be an ideal location for the new
headquarters of Great British Railways
further that the creation of the headquarters would bring
additional jobs to the community, as well as encourage new
investment; further that Lancashire County Council should note
the importance of this proposal; and further that an initial
petition organised by Lancaster Civic Vision gained over 500
signatories from the whole community.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge
the Government to note the nomination of Carnforth to house the
new headquarters of Great British
Railways
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by , Official Report, 15 March
2022; Vol. 710, c. 863.]
[P002719]
Observations from The Minister of State, Department for Transport
():
The Great British
Railways Transition Team has been tasked with overseeing a
process to select a national headquarters for Great British Railways
The expressions of interest stage launched on 5 February 2022,
with 42 expressions of interest provided by the deadline of
Wednesday 16 March 2022, from towns and cities across Great
Britain.
The Great British
Railways Transition Team will now assess the expression of
interest applications using the six published criteria:
Alignment to levelling up objectives
Connected and easy to get to
Opportunities for Great British Railways
Railway heritage and links to the network
Value for money
Public support
A shortlist of the most suitable locations will be announced in
May to go to an online consultative public vote.
Ministers will then make a final decision on the headquarters
location based on all the information gathered and the criteria
outlined above. We expect to announce the future location of the
GBR headquarters in the summer.
