This week's MP's column comes from Judith Cummins, Labour MP for Bradford South

JUST over 12 months ago, the Prime Minister told each and every one of us to ‘Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’ as the threat of the coronavirus became clear. For over a year we have all had to live with various forms of restrictions. 

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the key workers in the NHS; Care Homes, Bradford Council, those who drove our buses, trains and taxis, our supermarket workers and to everyone who kept Bradford running through this difficult time.

I also want to celebrate the valuable work done by volunteers in community organisations and faith groups in helping so many people through this pandemic. It also a time to remember those that have lost their lives to coronavirus and the loved ones who mourn their loss.

Last summer, as the rest of the country had the most severe lockdown restrictions eased, Bradford and other places in the North remained under local restrictions, as part of the tier system, for months.

When the Prime Minister last month laid out the roadmap for the easing of the current national restrictions, it was noticeable that he left open the possibility of a return to local restrictions, like the tier system, to contain new variants of the virus that may emerge in some places. 

At the height of summer, Bradford remained under the most severe form of restrictions and our local businesses were again forced to close. This created a situation where people could not access shops, beauty treatments, or go to the gym in Bradford, but they could travel to a neighbouring area to do this. This unfairness cannot be allowed to happen again.

The closure of local economies causes permanent economic damage. Many businesses only just survived these restrictions last year. They have again had to contend with national restrictions since the start of 2021 and I fear that another return to local restrictions and lockdowns may mean that many businesses that help our local economy thrive may never recover.  

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committee, of which I am a member, has recently recommended that if the Government intends to return to the strategy of localised lockdowns, financial support for business must reflect that.

The rollout of coronavirus vaccines, brings great hope and the possibility of a much longed-for return to near-normality later this year. However, I am afraid that unless the Government takes action to tackle economic damage caused by lockdown, restrictions and the virus itself, Bradford and the rest of North will not realise its full economic potential.

In my response in Parliament to the Budget earlier this month I raised the issue of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) – something which I think will be vital to aiding our local recovery: I said: ‘On the issue of rebalancing our economy, I was disappointed to see no commitment to NPR in this Budget. Nothing is more critical to Bradford’s long-term economic success than securing the NPR line with a city centre stop in Bradford.

In recent years, I have asked Ministers 11 times to confirm that this transformational project will go ahead and, crucially, that it would include Bradford.

Time and again Ministers have responded with warm words but no action, and now I worry that we are seeing emerging evidence of this Government backing away from their previous commitments to invest in my region and my city.”

I am deeply concerned that there are suggestions that the Government is considering an NPR route which will bypass Bradford, not include a city centre stop, and may not even involve a new line at all. That is why last week I joined Tracy Brabin MP, Labour’s candidate for West Yorkshire Mayor and Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe to reassert our commitment to an NPR stop in Bradford.

Let me be very clear: upgrading existing lines will not fulfil the manifesto promises this Tory Government made in the winter of 2019 and will not provide the significant infrastructure improvements that the great cities of the North, like Bradford, need. 

Bradford is a dynamic young city with significant potential but it has been severely held back by poor transport links and repeated under-investment. The Government must urgently recommit to the NPR project.  

This must include a new line between Leeds and Manchester, crucially with a stop in Bradford. A clear timeline for delivery must also be set out. I do not want NPR to be another example of this Government talking the talk but failing to walk the walk. There must be no more broken promises to the North.