Joe Morris

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Dowd—there is always a sense of history when you are in it. I want to speak about the contribution of Hexham and the broader north-east to UNESCO. We have a proud industrial heritage in the north-east, and I am proud to have the birthplace of George Stephenson in my constituency. At a recent panel event in Wylam, I was asked whether George Stephenson was to blame for the climate catastrophe, which was a challenging question to be asked at a community event, and slightly deeper than I had planned on going. We also have one of the most iconic UNESCO heritages sites, Hadrian’s wall, which symbolises the fantastic history of our nation and islands. Whether walking through Sycamore gap—which was a tragic loss—or more far-flung areas of Hadrian’s wall, we can get a sense of the scale of an incredible engineering achievement that left such a mark on the landscape. With my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns), I recently attended a parish council meeting in Gilsland, a village we both represent. I bumped into my year 3 teacher and we discussed the urgent need for investment in transport infrastructure in rural Northumberland. That includes the long-term goal of getting rail services into the village to open a key element of Hadrian’s wall back up to the public, allowing them to experience the world heritage site. I have a few points for the Minister to take away and share with colleagues, particularly the funding for national parks. Northumberland national park covers one of the largest geographic areas of any such park, but it is slightly disadvantaged by the current funding formula, which favours larger parks in the south and allows them to invest more, even though Northumberland national park does incredible work at facilities such as the Sill. However, Hadrian’s wall does not bring just a tourism offer; it gives a deep sense of pride and, crucially, jobs and employment opportunities. Those opportunities are also not just in Haltwhistle and not just in the tourism sector, so it underpins whole sections of the regional economy and our transport infrastructure. One point needs to be borne in mind: we are not simply a region defined by Hadrian’s wall or opportunities of the past. We have a rich cultural offer. I would like to take this opportunity to put on record my support for the ongoing petition for the redevelopment of Hexham’s old fire station by Sir Antony Gormley. I also ask the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East (Joe Robertson), to pass on my distaste for how the Conservative cabinet of Northumberland county council has rammed through the rejection of that proposal. The Conservatives have a duty to enhance the lives of everyone in Northumberland, not merely those in their favoured areas. Unfortunately, the council cabinet in Northumberland is a specialist in failure when it comes to my constituency.