ON Tuesday, February 11, I was in the Chamber to listen to the Prime Minister give the green light to HS2, as well as his announcement of a £5billion package of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links, writes Rachel Maclean, MP for Redditch.
With Redditch just a short hop from Birmingham’s HS2 terminal, I believe our town will benefit from this project and I’ve already been working to encourage Redditch businesses to bid for HS2 construction contracts.
My main focus is on the £5billion package for bus services and cycle links. When big announcements like this are made it’s easy to understand why people ask how this money will filter down to places like Redditch. But that’s where MPs come in.
Not all the action takes place in the House of Commons, actually more work goes on outside the Chamber in committee rooms, in the MPs tearoom and in meetings with government ministers. This is where stuff gets done.
I’ll still be standing up in the House of Commons questioning the Prime Minister and the Transport Secretary, as I did on Tuesday, to ensure this £5bn is distributed equally so counties like Worcestershire receive their fair share, but the main lobbying takes place outside of the Chamber.
As more details of this new funding are revealed, I’ll be holding meetings with ministers to secure our county’s fair share.
We need a greener, more reliable bus service here in Redditch, and that’s what I’m fighting for.
