Two local councillors are looking to build some loco-motion to make Perth the final destination for the new Great British Railways company headquarters.
Local representatives Alasdair Bailey and Xander McDade will be urging the local authority and fellow council members to lodge an ‘Expression of Interest’ (EoI) with the Great British Railways Transition Teams, claiming it will be “excellent news for jobs and the esteem of the city”.
A commitment to establish Great British Railways was made in May 2021 as part of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, serving as a single, accountable public body responsible for running Britain’s railways.
On October 4, 2021 the secretary of state for transport announced that a competition will take place to find a location for the headquarters outside of London.
Towns and cities outside of London have the opportunity to participate in the Great British Railways national headquarters selection process, which is being run by the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT).
The competition will seek to recognise places with “a rich railway heritage, strong links to the national network and public support for the selected location”, creating a great opportunity to promote communities as “the proud home for the start of a new era in Britain’s railways”.
The local authorities of towns or cities taking part in the competition will be responsible for submitting an EoI by March 16 as the first step of the selection process.
A public consultation vote on a shortlist of places will then be conducted as part of the competition to test public support. Perth and the wider counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire saw significant growth and prosperity thanks to the arrival of the railways and their expansion in the 1800s.
To honour that history, councillors Bailey and McDade will propose a motion on the agenda at next Wednesday’s full council meeting at PKC.
Carse of Gowrie ward councillor Alasdair Bailey said: “Perth’s rich railway heritage and highly-skilled workforce would make it an excellent place for the new Great British Railways headquarters.
“In next week’s council meeting, I’ll be calling on colleagues of all parties and none to show that we are united in wanting the best for Perth and this marquee headquarters would be excellent news for jobs and the esteem of the city.”
Highland ward councillor Xander MCDade added: “This is a real opportunity for the headquarters of a UK Government body to be based here in Perth and bring with it high-quality well-paid jobs and significant inward investment for our city.
“I hope that there will be unanimous support so we can make the strongest possible case for the new Great British Railways HQ to be based in Perthshire.”
