An amendment to the forthcoming Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which would have delivered disabled access for Greenfield Station, and others like it, has been voted down in the House of Commons, with not a single Conservative MP supporting it.
The only train station in the whole of Oldham Borough, the station has no step-free access to the Huddersfield-bound platform, making it inaccessible for anyone in a wheelchair, with a pram or with mobility issues.
Local Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “It’s all very well making the right noises, but when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is, the Conservatives don’t deliver.
“The Government keep passing the buck – whether it’s saying it will be part of the line upgrade, or Access for All, or whatever policy this week’s Prime Minister has dreamt up. Simply: there must be access, and you keep refusing it.”
At the moment, the budding process for Access for All favours large train stations on mainline routes. Greenfield Station, despite being on the Transpennine route, does not get the funding.
Sam continued: “The absolute irony of having disabled parking bays outside the station but no way to get on to the train should be enough to make anyone realise what a nonsense this is.
“No excuses – access now!”