Haxby Lib Dems Criticise Mayor Haxby Station Silence

Haxby and Wigginton Ward Councillors have expressed frustration after the York and North Yorkshire Mayor seemingly failed to mention the stalled Haxby Station project during a high-profile meeting with Lord Blunkett, who is currently leading a government review into rail connectivity across Yorkshire.

According to coverage in the Telegraph and Argus, the meeting—held at York’s National Railway Museum—included all three Yorkshire Mayors, who lobbied for a wide range of rail infrastructure improvements. These included boosting capacity at Leeds, Sheffield, and York stations, building a new through-station in Bradford, and delivering a mainline station in Rotherham. Additional proposals focused on electrification of key routes and service increases for areas such as Scarborough, the Esk Valley, the Penistone Line, and Wakefield’s Five Towns. 

Notably absent was any reference to Haxby Station, a project that has faced continued delays since being paused under the current Labour Government. Little progress has been made since the review began.

Councillor Andrew Hollyer said:

“It beggars’ belief that our Mayor had the opportunity to speak directly with the man reviewing Yorkshire’s entire rail network and apparently didn’t even mention Haxby Station.

“This project is vital to residents in Haxby and York’s northern villages, yet it’s clearly not a priority for him or the Labour Party. If our own Mayor won’t fight for Government funding, why should we expect Westminster to act?

“If Lord Blunkett’s review ends with the project being scrapped, the blame will lie squarely with our Mayor’s failure to advocate for it. He must step up and commit to underwriting this project if he truly supports it.”