Wakefield councillors demand new railway station for Ossett and Horbury within five years

Labour and Tory members urged West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin to back their campaign to get more than 40,000 residents access to the rail network.

Ossett is believed to be the largest town in the UK not to have a railway station.

The former Ossett and Horbury Station closed in 1970.

Councillors from the Ossett and Horbury and South Ossett wards highlighted the issue during questions to Mayor Brabin when she attended a full council meeting in Wakefield on Wednesday.

Darren Byford, Labour councillor for Horbury and South Ossett, said: “We need a railway station and we need it to be established quickly.

“We want it to give us direct access to Wakefield Westgate, to Leeds City Station, to Huddersfield and beyond.

“Personally, I am not precious about the location of the actual station.

“Horbury and Ossett have a combined population of over 40,000 residents.

“If you add in the surrounding areas, this gives you a great opportunity to establish a new railway station in a vastly under-served area.”

Coun Byford asked Mayor Brabin what she could do to get a new station opened with the next five years.

Mayor Brabin said: “I have been lobbied about the new station.

“I think if you have the capacity to bring together the data where you can prove the numbers add up, whether you have the footfall that will be economically viable then bring it to the MCA (Mayoral Combined Authority) via your leader.”

“But it is always about the numbers and the limited resources that we have.

Mayor Brabin added: “Wetherby is another community where people would like a station, but at the moment the economic argument just isn’t powerful enough, so it would be great to see those numbers.”

Horbury and South Ossett Tory councillor Simon Fishwick told the meeting he had sent e-mails to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority about a new station but had received no response.

Mayor Brabin told Coun Fishwick she was willing to speak with him about his concerns.

Angela Taylor, Tory councillor for Ossett, said: “We would like all the councillors of Ossett and Horbury to be involved, not just certain members.

“All six of us need to be involved if there is any future discussion.”

Later in the meeting, Coun Matthew Morley, Cabinet member for planning and highways, said: “I have raised this now for many years with the Combined Authority.

“It is the largest town, I think, in the country that doesn’t have a train station.

“I have said this time and time again.

“We need to keep fighting and working to get this funding in place and get a station there.

“It is desperately needed in Ossett and Horbury.

“I know that and you know that. It is cross-party and we need to work together.”