Tories criticise Darlington MP’s comments on Brick Train clean up
Former Conservative MP Peter Gibson said work to renovate the site was actually started by local Tories and Stockton West MP Matt Vickers.
In a post on social media, Mr Gibson revealed that the sculpture near Morton Park is located within the Stockton West constituency, saying: “It’s important to know where responsibilities for something lie.”
Earlier this week, current Darlington MP Lola McEvoy visited the site to praise the collaborative work between her office and Darlington Borough Council after recent public concerns.
The sculpture was unveiled in 1997 as a striking tribute to the town’s proud railway heritage, but has since been targeted by vandals and fly-tipping. A lack of signage surrounding the site has also been criticised for failing to attract visitors.
“To see it in such poor condition was heartbreaking – but I’m thrilled to see great progress now being made to restore it in time for such a significant moment in our town’s history,” the Labour MP said.
But Mr Gibson has questioned the Labour’s MP’s role in helping improve the surrounding area. Pictures posted by Darlington Conservatives earlier this year show local councillors on a litter pick around the Brick Train.
The former Darlington MP said: “A few months ago, a resident of Darlington got in touch with me to complain about the state of the Brick Train. That resident got in touch with me because they’d had no joy raising it with the Darlington MP, or indeed with Darlington Council. You could say they’d hit a brick train!
“I took the issue up, and spoke with Matt, passed the case on, and within days a team of Conservative members from Darlington and Stockton – led by Matt went along and did some excellent work, sadly the day they went I was unable to join them but shared the posts about the work they had done.
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“It’s important to know where boundaries lie, what the protocols to follow are, and who has actually done the work.”
However, Ms McEvoy insisted the renovation works have been in progress for several months.
A spokesperson added: “After a constituent raised this with Lola, she has been working with the Labour-led Darlington Borough Council and others for months on a plan to address the state of Darlington’s iconic Brick Train, both in terms of renovating the train itself and improving the area around it.
“By working in partnership, she has helped deliver commitments to significant improvements to the site and the artwork. She is looking forward to the works being completed and will continue to monitor progress on this important work.”