WELLINGTON councillors have decided to write to the Railway Minister Lord Hendy after the “apparent decision to not provide funding for the proposed railway station”.

The decision came after the latest town council meeting on September 2 when “it was agreed that the council should write to the Minister reaffirming its support for the delivery of the station”.

A spokesperson for Wellington Town Council said: “At last night's meeting [September 2], councillors express concern about the apparent decision of the Railway Minister to not provide funding for the proposed new railway station.

“It was agreed that the council should write to the Minister reaffirming its support for the delivery of the station, setting out the need for a station given the towns growing population and to support the economic development of the town.

“It also agreed that a meeting should be requested with Somerset Council Planning Officers and the developer involved in the development around the station to discuss the implications of the Minister’s decision.”

Gideon Amos, Lib Dem MP for Taunton and Wellington, said: “There’s no doubt that public finances are under pressure following a raft of unfunded commitments made by the Conservative government and, as a result, funding for the Wellington and Cullompton stations project is under review.

“However, working closely with Richard Foord MP in fighting every step of the way for the project to succeed, we have now secured a meeting with the Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, which is expected in the next few weeks.”

A ministerial statement made by Louise Haigh, Secretary of State for Transport, read: “The financial inheritance this government has received is extremely challenging.

“The previous administration has left a £22 billion public spending gap this year alone – £2.9bn of which is unfunded transport commitments.

“Communities up and down the country have been given hope for new transport infrastructure, with no plans or funds to deliver them.

“This Government will not make that mistake.

“This Government will rebuild our economic foundations whilst restoring transparency and public trust.

“In recent weeks, the gap between promised schemes and the money available to deliver them has been made clear to me.

“There has been a lack of openness with the public about the status of schemes - some of which were cancelled or paused by the previous government, without proper communication to the public.

“As the Chancellor informed Parliament, I am commissioning an internal review of DfT’s capital spend portfolio.

“We will bring in external expertise and move quickly to make recommendations about current and future schemes.

“This review will support the development of our new long-term strategy for transport, developing a modern and integrated network with people at its heart, and ensuring that transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time.

“I am determined that we build the transport infrastructure to drive economic growth and opportunity in every part of the country, and to deliver value for money for taxpayers.

“That ambition requires a fundamental reset to how we approach capital projects – with public trust, industry confidence and government integrity at its heart.”

“It’s imperative this project - so essential to Wellington’s future - is secured and I’ll be reminding the Government of the Chancellor’s commitment to me in the House of Commons that it will go ahead”.