DARLINGTON DISSENT
Darlington’s Conservative MP Peter Gibson,
in his maiden speech in the House of Commons on January 27: “Many will have read last week of the cultural vandalism seemingly imposed upon us, planning to relocate our most precious historical asset to another place. The retention of Locomotion in our town is a fight I will continue with on behalf of the people of Darlington. It is no longer good enough for decisions about the north to be taken by quangos here in London with no consultation or consideration for the people that they affect.”
Darlington council leader Heather Scott,
speaking to The Northern Echo: “[Locomotion] is one of the great icons of the town, so for it to be taken away from us just as the 2025 bicentenary is on the horizon is very cruel.
“Locomotion is ours; it belongs to Darlington, and I am determined that it should stay in Darlington.”
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen,
speaking to The Northern Echo: “To take Locomotion away from the Tees Valley would be a massive kick in the teeth for everyone who is planning to come and visit in 2025 and to those who are working hard to make the celebrations really special.
“I absolutely support Heather and Peter in their campaign to stop this from happening and I strongly urge the NRM to rethink this proposal, which sends out completely the wrong message ahead of an occasion where we should be celebrating our railway heritage.”
Matthew Pease, the greatgreat-great grandson of Joseph Pease
who paid to restore and display Locomotion: “This decision seems to have been made without any consideration for the people of Darlington. Locomotion is integral to Darlington’s identity; it’s such an icon and has been here pretty much since it was built.”
Steve Davies, former NRM director and MD of International Railway Heritage Consultancy Ltd:
“Not every object has a God-given right to stay in one place in perpetuity, but this is such an internationally important locomotive; it’s like saying ‘we’re going to be taking the liver bird away from Liverpool’.
“I hope that the dialogue between York and Darlington will be reopened; there’s got to be some middle ground here, there has to be a compromise. There needs to be a major, national, intellectual debate about Locomotion, its working practices and its significance.
“Once a position has been arrived at, there should be clearly defensible proposals for the engine, although my view is that its final resting place should be Darlington.”