The Mayor of Bedford Borough continues to have grave doubts about the transparency of East West Rail (EWR), following the latest information published by the organisation.
EWR’s ‘You Said, We Did - Autumn Update’ was shared with the Council last week, at the same time as being made available online for the public.
The document is described as “an update on East West Rail and the work that we have been doing since our last non-statutory consultation which concluded at the beginning of the year.”
Tom Wootton, Mayor of Bedford Borough said; “This project desperately needs to win back public trust. Everyone at East West Rail desperately needs to show that they’re being honest and transparent.
“How are they doing right now? Frankly, they don’t pass the sniff test.
“We still don’t have their documented rationale for needing to knock down an additional 53 homes and businesses on Ashburnham Road - including a GP surgery and the Dom Polski venue. Their Technical Note was promised more than two months ago.
“When EWR held a public meeting earlier this month, they failed to share simple information beforehand with the Council, including the agenda and their slideshow presentation. And we had minimal notice of this week’s high-level briefing about their newest update – they need to keep us in the loop if we’re to support our residents.”
The East West Rail Project is a multi-billion-pound rail link being built between Oxford and Cambridge, with Bedford at its centre.
Mayor Tom said he was now studying the You Said, We Did - Autumn Update in detail with officers.
But while he emphasised the Council’s continued support for East West Rail in principle, he explained how Bedford Borough Council was already stepping in to work with residents and ensure their voices will be heard.
He said; “Councillor Nicky Gribble has joined officers knocking door to door to speak to residents on Ashburnham Road, and we have already done our first letter drop.
“We’ll continue to work with residents, to ensure that they are kept up to date, to make sure they aren’t railroaded. But they need to be open, honest and transparent – with residents, the community, and with the Council.”