- Rother Valley MP Alexander Stafford has written a joint letter with Maltby Town Council to Mayor of Sheffield City Region Dan Jarvis to urge him to use the £67 million funding provided for Rotherham as part of the government's Renewal Action Plan.
- Both Alexander Stafford MP and the Maltby Town Council urged the Mayor to invest in public transport for Maltby to improve employment opportunities and level up the town.
In his latest push to improve public transport provision and level up Rother Valley Alexander Stafford MP has written a joint letter with Maltby Town Council to Dan Jarvis, Mayor of Sheffield City Region (SCR), to urge him to use the £67 million funding provided for Rotherham as part of the government's Renewal Action Plan to inject investment into left behind communities.
In their joint letter, both Maltby Town Council and Alexander Stafford MP urged the Mayor for greater support for peripheral towns, such as Maltby, which have previously seen lower levels of funding compared to larger towns like Rotherham.
Commenting, Alexander said:
"We must use the £67 million in funding given to Rotherham as part of the government's Renewal Action Plan to revitalise smaller towns like Maltby here in Rother Valley.
"Rother Valley must have better transport links in order to boost connectivity and reap the full benefits of the opportunities this provides. I am hopeful that some of this generous funding will be allocated to local transport services in our smaller towns.
"I am determined to deliver on the levelling up promise made at the last election and this starts will better public transport across Rother Valley and investment into our previously left behind communities."
The content of the letter written by Alexander and Maltby Town Council:
Dear Mayor
Re: Maltby bus routes and service
We are writing to you as the elected representatives from Maltby regarding bus services and the lack of provision and accessible services serving the town. Maltby has long been the victim of inadequate bus services, with services often being cancelled, amended, or travelling long routes meaning they cannot be relied upon.
We have read the announcements regarding the Renewal Action Plan and the £67million investment in to Rotherham, we cannot see any announcement which will directly benefit deprived peripheral towns such as Maltby.
The Sheffield City Region Transport Strategy states that you will ensure that that the ‘transport network offers sustainable and includes access for all to local services, employment opportunities and our green and recreational services.’ The people of Maltby want to see how the recent announcement regarding the Renewal Action Plan and the £67million investment in to Rotherham, along with the Government’s National Bus Strategy, will benefit residents to access opportunities and jobs.
We need you, as local leaders responsible for transport, to fight for deprived towns like Maltby that need to see better public transport services.
Employment levels in Maltby depend on opportunities in other areas as local jobs are only sufficient for 33% of the working age population, according to the Council’s ward profile. Parts of Maltby are within the most deprived 6% of England; the Birks Holt SOA is within the 2% most deprived areas. Maltby has a car ownership level far lower than the national average, and so people rely upon public transport to provide them with the means to access employment and education. It is important that the people of Maltby, and the whole of Rother Valley, have access to opportunities not just in their hometowns but across the region.
There are increasing opportunities across South Yorkshire for employment – the Advanced Manufacturing Park, the new industrial estates around Dinnington and Doncaster; however, the people of Maltby are being left behind. Unable to access these opportunities due to the state of public transport serving the town.
Currently, there is no direct bus service that links the two main towns in Rother Valley - Maltby and Dinnington. A five-mile journey takes at least 53 minutes via two buses, with most journeys taking over an hour. We urge you to look at improving regional connectivity between our towns and villages.
Bus services offer people the opportunity to realise their potential and access opportunities, and also reduce their carbon footprint.
I would be most grateful if you would be open to having a meeting with us, Maltby Town Council and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive to discuss bus services in the area and the recently announced £860m New Deal for South Yorkshire.
We look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely
Alexander Stafford MP for Rother Valley and Cllr Sharon Biggin
