Ongoing concerns about new Ilkeston Station have been taken to the top by Prospective MP for Erewash, Maggie Throup when she raised the delays announced early January with the Secretary of State for Transport.

Maggie Throup said: “Sadly December came and went without Ilkeston’s new train station opening for business. Now in the New Year we have been greeted with the news that Derbyshire County Council is set to cut the station build back. 

“What the County Council doesn’t seem to realise is that whilst ever they continue to mismanage this project, they also continue to waste thousands of pounds of taxpayer’s money. 

“I have been in contact with Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin to ask for his assistance in getting the station Ilkeston deserves.”

In a response to Ms Throup, the Transport Secretary, Mr McLoughlin, said: "I was delighted when the Government provided the overwhelming majority of funding to build the new Ilkeston train station in 2013.

"I have kept a close eye on developments, talking to Maggie Throup, and there is a lot of dissatisfaction locally with the management of the project by Derbyshire County Council.

"It is totally unacceptable for the County Council to now downsize the station and shows how inefficient the Labour Party is at managing money.

"If the authority hadn't had wasted so much taxpayers cash on PR consultants and paying off their long-serving Chief Executive it would have had more money in the pot."