Transport Infrastructure: Cramlington and Killingworth

Mike Martin Excerpts

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Westminster Hall

[Emma Foody]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. This investment is critical now, but if we want to see the growth that we need in business and in housing developments for our constituents in future, it is essential that we have these upgrades.

National Highways has confirmed that Moor Farm has a volume over capacity of 104% at both the morning and afternoon peaks. The agency’s own classification is that Moor Farm is oversaturated, and the frequent accidents and breakdowns can lead to congestion for literally miles. Barely a week goes by without such incidents, and it is local people and businesses who pay the price. The Carabao cup-winning Newcastle United hero Dan Burn recently had to step in to help a stranded vehicle on Moor Farm roundabout. Although I have every confidence in Dan Burn on the pitch, he cannot be there every day to save the day on Moor Farm roundabout.

In all seriousness, the current congestion causes misery for commuters and businesses, and without support and investment, the situation will only continue to get worse. It is for that reason that improvements have been drawn up, and Moor Farm and Seaton Burn roundabouts are being assessed as part of the next round of the road investment strategy. Their importance is also recognised by all local parties, including Northumberland county council, North Tyneside council, Newcastle city council and, indeed, the North East combined authority.

The north-east devolution deal, signed in 2024, stated:

“The government recognises the area’s priorities for improvements to the Strategic Road Network…such as the upgrading of A19 junctions North of Newcastle (Moor Farm…and…Seaton Burn).”

The north-east growth plan further recognises that upgrades on the A19 at Moor Farm and Seaton Burn are an investment in infrastructure priorities. The Mayor of the North East, Kim McGuinness, has stated that the roundabouts sit on one of the region’s key transport corridors, and that it is “of strategic importance” to the north-east that they are upgraded. As Moor Farm and Seaton Burn sit on the strategic road network, however, the funding and responsibility sit with the Department for Transport and National Highways. Therefore, they cannot be upgraded through devolved funding to the North East combined authority.

I have touched on the nightmare that the current roundabouts are causing for local people, but it is not only that; as has been mentioned, they are holding back businesses, growth and investment in my communities. That has a direct impact on my constituents’ quality of life, because it puts at risk our ability to support the Government in their missions to deliver on growth and housing. Northumberland county council has warned that improvements to the junctions are critical to future growth aspirations.

[Mike Martin (Tunbridge Wells) (LD)]

Let me take the debate from the north-east to the south-east and Kent. The story that the hon. Lady is telling is very similar to that of the A21 Kippings Cross junction in my constituency. Of course, we have the opposite problem: the houses have all gone in, but none of the infrastructure has been built. Now that the spending review is giving lots of money to northern constituencies—I do follow her argument that they have been under-invested in for some time—what is there for the south-east? Where does the balance lie in catching up on the infrastructure that has not been built in the south-east, while all the houses have been built?

[Emma Foody]

I appreciate the hon. Gentleman’s advocacy for his communities. However, I am afraid that communities like mine have missed out year after year after year. No matter who the Prime Minister of the previous Conservative Government was, they never put the infrastructure or the investment that was required into the north-east; finally we have a Government who are prioritising that, and I am afraid I am never going to argue against it.

Without the improvements to these roundabouts, Northumberland county council warns that they will remain a “significant constraint” on economic growth in south-east Northumberland, while North Tyneside council warns there is a “very real risk” that significant housing and economic growth, in line with national policy, cannot be delivered without investment into this critical highway infrastructure. There is also real risk that blocks placed by National Highways due to congestion affect the ability to produce a local plan and meet housing need across North Tyneside, with the Mayor of the North East adding:

“The lack of capacity is now constraining much needed plans for housing and economic development”.

South-east Northumberland is a key regional and national corridor for growth, including the Port of Blyth and Northumberland Energy Park, which will house the £10 billion data centre at Cambois. Businesses and local stakeholders have spoken to me ahead of the debate about their frustration and have provided real world examples.

Miller UK, which is headquartered in Cramlington, manufactures and supplies excavator buckets and attachments across the UK and the world. It has a significant number of trucks delivered on a daily basis, and it set out that

“Moor farm congestion impacts on delivery times and leads to increased running costs”.

Fergusons Transport is a logistics firm based in Dudley in North Tyneside, and it similarly expressed frustration at the delays, capacity and increased emissions. It added:

“This outdated infrastructure is holding our region back”.

George Smith produces exceptional upholstered furniture from its Cramlington factory, which is sold across the world. It has lost staff due to the frustrations of a commute involving Moor Farm, and said:

“A properly designed and delivered solution at Moor Farm would make a meaningful difference to our ability to attract and retain staff”.

Similarly, RENOLIT is a global family-owned specialist in high-quality plastic films and polymer solutions that is based in Cramlington. It also stressed the importance of delivering upgrades.

What is the cost of missed opportunities? There are the developments and investment that have not come forward, or are being held back, because of concerns that congestion at Moor Farm will lead to applications being blocked or that the mitigation costs are too high. Those missed opportunities are jobs and homes for local people that may be invested elsewhere, or indeed not at all.

I have said before that Moor Farm and Seaton Burn are holding back growth, investment and opportunity, so how can the Government support my region and community in getting those long-overdue upgrades? The Department for Transport and National Highways assessed the business case for the roundabouts in the latest road investment strategy pipeline. Under the previous Conservative Government’s Green Book criteria, they were found to be low or poor value for money. However, this assessment has been challenged by local councils and the North East combined authority, which highlighted that the assessment used traffic data from 2019.

As I said earlier, the Department for Transport’s own figures show that there have been significant increases in delays in recent years, yet that data was not used for the assessment, and the assessment also did not take into account all the housing developments in the pipeline. We are in a Catch-22 situation where only some future developments, whether employment or housing, are being assessed, yet there are business and development opportunities on key sites in Northumberland and North Tyneside that are not being brought forward due to the lack of certainty about whether they will be blocked or incur additional costs due to the roundabouts’ capacity constraints.

We know that assessments of the outcomes of investments in the north-east have significantly undervalued the impact before. Take the recent reopening of the Northumberland line in December 2024. Initially, usage was expected to be 50,000 by Easter 2025, yet with only some of the stations open to date, including Seaton Delaval in my constituency, figures show that 250,000 journeys have been made—five times the expected number of passenger journeys. Investment in infrastructure delivers results, and I have no doubt that with Moor Farm and Seaton Burn we would, similarly, see substantially more benefits delivered than the assessment implies.

That is precisely why the Government’s review and changes to the Green Book are so vital. A move to a place-based business case is absolutely correct, and for Moor Farm and Seaton Burn, it cannot come soon enough. From Conservative-led Northumberland to the Labour Mayor of North Tyneside, Karen Clark, and the North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, and local Labour MPs, we are universally agreed: to unlock growth, support business and finally end the misery for local residents in south-east Northumberland, north Tyneside and the wider north-east, these upgrades are essential.

The Government are right to place these decisions in the hands of those who know our communities best, and what delivers for them. I have previously asked, as has the North East combined authority, for this scheme to be judged as a test case for a new methodology for the Green Book. With the changes to the Green Book and the welcome move to place-based business cases, could the A19 north of Newcastle scheme be the test case for new methodology? With the growth that would be unlocked by bringing the scheme forward, overlooked in the previous methodology, will the Department for Transport work with local stakeholders to test this?

Our Government have rightly embraced devolution. Given the importance placed on these junctions to local stakeholders, and the fact that this was specifically referenced in both the deeper devolution deal and the north-east growth plan, what weight is placed on this in the road investment strategy assessment? What conversations have taken place between the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, given that local plan and housing targets could be at risk if this barrier is not removed? Now that the spending review has been announced, what is the timeframe for a decision on the next round of road investment strategy and the projects identified to go forward? Finally, despite the misinformation put out by Conservative councillors in Northumberland, can the Minister confirm that, under the previous Government, no funding had been awarded for improvements at the roundabouts, and no money for this project has been withdrawn?

The Government have ambitious missions to deliver growth and build the houses that our country needs. Cramlington and Killingworth, and the wider north-east, stand ready to support delivery, but right now the situation at Moor Farm and Seaton Burn acts as a blocker to growth, causing misery to residents and commuters and holding back investment. The voices of local people, business, councils and elected representatives is clear: we need these key junctions to be upgraded. They are holding back the enormous potential of the communities that I represent. Investing here and upgrading the roundabouts can help to deliver our missions, and I hope that this critical investment will be brought forward. I look forward to hearing from the Minister on how we can work together to achieve that.

Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [Lords]

Mike Martin Excerpts

2nd reading
Monday 2nd June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mike Martin (Tunbridge Wells) (LD)]

In Tunbridge Wells, buses are not a luxury: they connect schoolchildren to their classrooms, the elderly to their communities, carers to patients, and people unable to drive to jobs, shops and healthcare. When those links are weakened, lives are disrupted and communities start to fracture. If lockdown taught us anything, it is that social isolation is not just lonely, but incredibly damaging to mental health, and that has knock-on effects throughout our whole society. Without a reliable bus service, people are stuck at home. Dependable public transport is not just a convenience; it is an economic, social and health imperative.

In my constituency, schoolchildren take the 267 from Horsmonden—a route cobbled together by merging disconnected services. It winds slowly through villages and regularly arrives late, meaning that children often miss the start of school. This is a failure to support our children’s educations. Worse, the price of a child’s annual bus pass in Kent is extortionate: parents pay £550 per child for them to arrive late or not at all. Now, with the £2 fare cap rising to £3, a commuter making two journeys a day, five days a week, will pay an extra £500 extra each year, on top of the cost of living crisis, with soaring bills, rent and food prices. That is why the Liberal Democrats have called for the fare cap to be reinstated at £2.

It is not just schoolchildren and commuters; many elderly and low-income residents rely on buses to maintain independence and reduce social isolation, yet services are still being cut. In Tunbridge Wells, the 289 no longer runs on weekends, isolating residents from Southborough to Showfields. People can commute to work, they might be able to squeeze in a shop on a Tuesday and perhaps they could meet some friends for a drink on a Friday, but if they want to go out on Saturday, they are stuck. There is no bus and no connection—nowhere to go. For those who do not have time to shop or socialise during the week, it is tough luck.

In Paddock Wood, a town of 7,500 people, there is no direct service to Pembury hospital on a Sunday. What message does that send to NHS workers and patients without cars? The lack of weekend service is a constituency-wide issue that disproportionately affects the elderly, disabled people and low-income families. It is not just inconvenient—it is unfair.

Rural villages have seen services slashed. The 255 once connected Hawkhurst to Lamberhurst to Tunbridge Wells, but its removal now cuts communities off from rail, shops, pharmacies, GPs and each other. There is no bus at all to Ashurst, a village five miles from Tunbridge Wells, the nearest shopping and rail centre. Parents drop children to neighbouring villages to catch the bus to school, but still pay £500 for the privilege.

My constituents are waiting for buses that never come, or watching their routes disappear. Over 25% of passengers in Kent are dissatisfied with their bus service and 27% of buses are either late or cancelled. That is why I welcome the provisions in the Bill to empower local authorities to protect socially necessary routes—those that get people to school, healthcare or work. Such measures are absolutely essential, but we must go further; we need to restore and expand services to tackle frustration and isolation.

I welcome the £23 million pledged by the Government to Kent county council for bus service improvement, but that was under the Conservatives. Reform is now running Kent county council, but frankly I would not trust it to run a bath. Its priorities are not public services. Last night we saw the announcement of a DOGE—a department of government efficiency—starting at Kent county council. That is a bit of a joke when we consider that the new Reform administration decided to cancel the first iteration of the audit and governance committee; one assumes that would fulfil the same function as a DOGE.

We must have proper local consultation to ensure that the £23 million is spent appropriately and responsibly by the Reform administration in Kent. With the right investment and priorities, focused on children, the elderly and healthcare, we can bring in a network that brings people together and does not leave them behind.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

With a birthday contribution, I call Alex Mayer.

Gatwick Airspace Modernisation Review

Mike Martin Excerpts

Wednesday 18th December 2024 Westminster Hall

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mike Kane)]

It is always a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Edward. I congratulate the hon. Member for Horsham (John Milne) on securing this timely and important debate.

The UK’s airspace is some of the most complex in the world, yet there has been little change to its overall structure since the 1950s. If a pilot from that time came back to the future in a TARDIS, he would be flying the same pathways as he did in the 1950s. The system was designed closer to the time Yuri Gagarin was in space than to today.

Modernising our airspace can deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys. Airspace modernisation will use new technologies to create direct routes and faster climbs, and will reduce the need for holding stacks. It will mean that the aviation industry can grow safely and that customers will experience more reliable services, which are particularly needed at Gatwick. Importantly, there will be opportunities to reduce noise and carbon emissions.

[Mike Martin (Tunbridge Wells) (LD)]

In my constituency of Tunbridge Wells there is only one noise monitor, in the village of Rusthall. Although we are all in favour of airspace modernisation—the Minister makes some great points about it—how can we know that it will not merely move the noise problem around, or even make it worse? Will the Government commit to expanding the number of noise monitors in affected communities, such as mine in Tunbridge Wells, before they implement the proposal?

[Mike Kane]

I gently remind the hon. Member that I grew up under the flight path at Manchester airport, so I remember the BAC One-Elevens, the Tridents and the Concordes. I even saw the space shuttle do a low pass on a jumbo jet. Through modern technology, noise envelopes are reducing considerably.

The hon. Member for Horsham talked about carbon; who knew that if we actually flew our planes in straight lines, we would reduce the carbon emissions from our aviation sector by up to about 10%? That would benefit not just every community but the planet too.

The first step in modernising Gatwick’s airspace affects routes heading south to the airport, as the hon. Member for Horsham said, which have minimal interactions with other airports. To achieve those changes, Gatwick is following the Civil Aviation Authority’s CAP 1616 process, as he mentioned. The process was revised earlier this year to make it fairer and more transparent and to provide an opportunity for comprehensive engagement with local communities and stakeholders who may be affected by airspace changes. It is worth pointing out that that was a key manifesto commitment of ours at the general election. That was right because, given the implications of airspace changes for local communities and the environment, it is necessary that they are subject to robust and transparent procedures.

One of the most complex and pressing aspects of airspace modernisation is the need to redesign the outdated flightpaths into and from our airports, such as those at Gatwick. Gatwick airport participates in a fundamental component of the Department’s airspace modernisation programme: the future airspace strategy implementation programme. FASI is a UK-wide upgrade of terminal airspace, involving 20 airports working in collaboration with the Airspace Change Organising Group and NATS to co-ordinate a more efficient airspace system.

Oral Answers to Questions

Mike Martin Excerpts

Thursday 21st November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lilian Greenwood]

It is incredibly important that decisions about local services are taken by those who are operating them. That is why not only have we provided substantial levels of funding—£1 billion announced in the Budget and the allocations set out on Monday—but we are providing local transport authorities with the powers they need to provide the services that local communities want and deserve.

[Mike Martin (Tunbridge Wells) (LD)]

5. If she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of local bus services in enabling children’s travel to school.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mike Kane)]

The Government know how important local bus services are in providing access to education. We have set out an ambitious programme of reform to empower local leaders to improve services for passengers, including through the introduction of the buses Bill, to ensure that they better reflect the needs of local communities.

[Mike Martin]

I, too, associate myself with the remarks about Lord Prescott.

In my constituency of Tunbridge Wells, a group of parents have told me about the difficulties that their children have in getting to Skinners’ Kent academy. The children can get either the No. 2 or the No. 297. The first one gets them to school 90 minutes early, so they have to wait by the side of a busy road in the cold and the dark, and the latter gets them there 15 minutes late. Over a school year, that is 50 hours of education. Kent was given £23 million for bus services. Beyond giving the money, what will the Department for Transport be doing to ensure that the money will increase the frequency of services so that children can get to school on time?

[Mr Speaker]

I think an Adjournment debate may be needed.