Fighting for a safer A19

If Grahame Morris hopes he can shame the government into taking action on the A19 he may have a long battle ahead.

The Labour MP has taken our Safe A19 campaign to the Houses of Parliament and delivered a stinging rebuke to the Tories.

Mr Morris played on the North South divide pointing an accusing finger in the direction of Southern cousins.

While the North East transport system flounders in the wake of underfunding and inaction, the South, he told MPs, enjoys an “embarrassment of riches.”

Good on him for taking the Tories to task, but he’s unlikely to sting them into action.

By almost every measure, the North fares poorer than the South.

Life expectancy is lower in the North, schools receive far less funding than the South, wages are higher down there and more new houses are being built in the South than here in the North. Why should transport be any different? Well, it isn’t. Figures produced by the Institute of Public Research revealed that when it comes to transport, the North is underfunded by almost £6billion a year compared to the South.

The North South divide is, in some areas, quite literally killing us. It kills business, it kills growth and, when the safety of our roads is compromised, it kills people.

As shameless as the government appears on this issue, we can’t let them get away with it.

Grahame Morris is fighting the good fight in the corridors of power, it’s up to us to support the campaign for the good of our community.

It’s going to be a long battle, but the Safe A19 campaign is one we must win. Sign the petition today.