Local transport was one of my key focuses at the last general election, and that focus has only broadened and deepened since 2019.

The Government is committed to improving public transport links, and ministers recognise its vital role in connecting local communities and growing their economic potential.

This approach has opened up new opportunities for me as your MP for Eddisbury to add new successes to my promised local transport effort.

We have seen the reallocation of public money from high-speed rail construction to local transport improvements, with £4.7 billion budgeted for Cheshire.

Extra pothole funding has been made available for both 2023/24 and 2024/25, with our county benefiting to the tune of £3 million each year.

Bus fares have been capped, with the Get Around For £2 scheme extended until the end of 2024, significantly helping rural routes like ours in Eddisbury, and contributing to my stated aim to see better, more affordable inter-village public transport across the constituency.

But the jewel in the crown of my transport work has, for me, been sponsoring and successfully lobbying for the re-opening of Beeston Castle & Tarporley Railway Station.

This will be the only stop between Crewe and Chester. It is as positive for the environment and road users as it is for workers, families, and the local economy, and it delivers an astonishing impact for what is a cleverly designed and almost cost-neutral scheme.

The Beeston and Tarporley Station Re-Opening Group was delighted to report to me towards the end of 2023 that the UK Department for Transport approved the re-opening of the station on the line between Crewe and Chester.

This decision by the UK Government brings us in South Cheshire one step closer to having our own passenger railway station - reconnecting communities isolated by the Beeching cuts - and having missed such an essential capability for nearly 70 years.

The whole community welcomed the decision to improve our local rail connectivity through Beeston and Tarporley, having supported the work of the re-opening group since its inception.

The group has, in turn, been overwhelmed by the positivity of local stakeholders: from the Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, local councillors, businesses, and schools to Transport for Wales, Transport for the North, and Network Rail for their support.

The UK Government's decision allows the re-opening group to move to the next stage of detailed planning, funding, sponsorship, and permission-seeking from several agencies.

We are now building on our actions to garner additional support, including some of that Government transport funding that was initially intended for HS2 construction and has been set aside for Cheshire.

There is much more work ahead, but, suffice to say, a critical milestone has been passed! And for that, we have local rail planner Mike Flynn and his staunch re-opening group to thank - as well as the communities of South Cheshire who have stood by us all the way.

This is not only an essential factor in the delivery of the project but also something that makes me very proud to see and be part of.