Agenda item

This council meeting notes

·         The government’s encouragement for disabled people to start (or return) to paid employment;

·         The important role played by our rail network in helping people to travel to and from their workplaces;

·         The difficulties faced accessing rail services by disabled people;

·         Stockport’s Rail Strategy, published last year, which noted that step-free access should be a minimum facility at stations.

·         The importance of the £102m Department for Transport” Access for All” programme in funding adaptations to railway stations to make them more accessible;

·         The additional £3m funding within  Greater Manchester from the “Rail Station Improvement Strategy”; and

·         That around half of the 96 railway stations across Greater Manchester still require more work, including important commuter stations across Stockport such as Bredbury, Heaton Chapel and Reddish North, and including other locally important destination stations such as Manchester Oxford Road, which all have stepped access to at least one platform.

This council meeting notes with concern

·         The proposals within the recent Hendy report to defer half of the “Access for All” projects until the period 2019-24;

·         That this is a 50% reduction in funding for the current period, delaying vital improvements across the network;

·         That future funding may be impacted by this re-phasing, meaning fewer adaptations may be  delivered in total by 2024; and

·         That any delay to a particular station being adapted means services are not accessible to all, contrary to the various Disability Discrimination and Equalities Acts.

This council meeting believes that deferring any “Access for All” project would be a mistake and supports the calls by Transport for All and Campaign for Better Transport to overturn this decision.

This council meeting therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to

·         the Secretary of State for Transport, asking him to reject the proposed re-phasing of Access for All projects and instead, wherever possible, to undertake more accessibility improvements in the current period; and

·         the Chair of Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, urging him to consider how more Transport for Greater Manchester funding can be made available to bring our railway stations up to the high accessibility standards of Metrolink.

Moved by:      Councillor Laura Booth

Seconded:     Councillor Geoff Abell

MOVED AND SECONDED - This Council Meeting notes

·         The government’s encouragement for disabled people to start (or return) to paid employment;

·         The important role played by our rail network in helping people to travel to and from their workplaces;

·         The difficulties faced accessing rail services by disabled people;

·         Stockport’s Rail Strategy, published last year, which noted that step-free access should be a minimum facility at stations.

·         The importance of the £102m Department for Transport” Access for All” programme in funding adaptations to railway stations to make them more accessible;

·         The additional £3m funding within  Greater Manchester from the “Rail Station Improvement Strategy”; and

·         That around half of the 96 railway stations across Greater Manchester still require more work, including important commuter stations across Stockport such as Bredbury, Heaton Chapel and Reddish North, and including other locally important destination stations such as Manchester Oxford Road, which all have stepped access to at least one platform.

This Council Meeting notes with concern

·         The proposals within the recent Hendy report to defer half of the “Access for All” projects until the period 2019-24;

·         That this is a 50% reduction in funding for the current period, delaying vital improvements across the network;

·         That future funding may be impacted by this re-phasing, meaning fewer adaptations may be  delivered in total by 2024; and

·         That any delay to a particular station being adapted means services are not accessible to all, contrary to the various Disability Discrimination and Equalities Acts.

This Council Meeting believes that deferring any “Access for All” project would be a mistake and supports the calls by Transport for All and Campaign for Better Transport to overturn this decision.

This Council Meeting therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to

·         the Secretary of State for Transport, asking him to reject the proposed re-phasing of Access for All projects and instead, wherever possible, to undertake more accessibility improvements in the current period; and

·         the Chair of Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, urging him to consider how more Transport for Greater Manchester funding can be made available to bring our railway stations up to the high accessibility standards of Metrolink.

AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED - This Council Meeting notes

·         The government’s encouragement for people with a disability to start (or return) to paid employment;

·         The important role played by our rail network in helping people to travel to and from their workplaces;

·         The difficulties faced accessing rail services by those with a disability;

·         Stockport’s Rail Strategy, published last year, which noted that step-free access should be a minimum facility at stations

·         Funding adaptations to railway stations to make them more accessible is principally the responsibility of Government through the Department for Transport's £102 million ”Access for All” programme

·         That around half of the 96 railway stations across Greater Manchester still require more work, including important commuter stations across Stockport such as Bredbury, Heaton Chapel and Reddish North, and including other locally important destination stations such as Manchester Oxford Road, which all have stepped access to at least one platform.

This Council Meeting notes with concern

·         The proposals within the recent Hendy report to defer half of the “Access for All” projects until the period 2019-24;

·         That this is a 50% reduction in funding for the current period delaying vital improvements across the network;

·         That future funding may be impacted by this re-phasing, meaning fewer adaptations may be  delivered in total by 2024; and

·         That any delay to a particular station being adapted means services are not accessible to all, contrary to the various Disability Discrimination and Equalities Acts.

This Council Meeting believes that deferring any “Access for All” project would be a mistake and supports the calls by the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, Transport for All and Campaign for Better Transport to overturn this decision.

This Council Meeting therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Transport, asking him to reject the proposed re-phasing of Access for All projects and instead, wherever possible, to undertake more accessibility improvements to rail stations across Greater Manchester and make more funding available to bring Greater Manchester's railway stations up to the high accessibility standards of Metrolink within a reasonable timescale.

For the amendment 36, against 20, abstentions 3.

AMENDMENT CARRIED

The amendment was then put as the substantive motion and it was

RESOLVED – (58 for, 1 abstention) This Council Meeting notes

·         The government’s encouragement for people with a disability to start (or return) to paid employment;

·         The important role played by our rail network in helping people to travel to and from their workplaces;

·         The difficulties faced accessing rail services by those with a disability;

·         Stockport’s Rail Strategy, published last year, which noted that step-free access should be a minimum facility at stations

·         Funding adaptations to railway stations to make them more accessible is principally the responsibility of Government through the Department for Transport's £102 million ”Access for All” programme

·         That around half of the 96 railway stations across Greater Manchester still require more work, including important commuter stations across Stockport such as Bredbury, Heaton Chapel and Reddish North, and including other locally important destination stations such as Manchester Oxford Road, which all have stepped access to at least one platform.

This Council Meeting notes with concern

·         The proposals within the recent Hendy report to defer half of the “Access for All” projects until the period 2019-24;

·         That this is a 50% reduction in funding for the current period delaying vital improvements across the network;

·         That future funding may be impacted by this re-phasing, meaning fewer adaptations may be  delivered in total by 2024; and

·         That any delay to a particular station being adapted means services are not accessible to all, contrary to the various Disability Discrimination and Equalities Acts.

This Council Meeting believes that deferring any “Access for All” project would be a mistake and supports the calls by the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, Transport for All and Campaign for Better Transport to overturn this decision.

This Council Meeting therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Transport, asking him to reject the proposed re-phasing of Access for All projects and instead, wherever possible, to undertake more accessibility improvements to rail stations across Greater Manchester and make more funding available to bring Greater Manchester's railway stations up to the high accessibility standards of Metrolink within a reasonable timescale.