When first appointed to the Northumberland County Council Cabinet in 2017 a Corbridge resident and a driving force of economic regeneration of Tyneside told me that our biggest priority to boost Northumberland’s economic fortunes should be to re-open the rail line from Ashington into Newcastle.

After decades of talking about it today’s funding announcement confirms that we are delivering. A great achievement by my council colleagues and council officers who worked tirelessly to make it a reality.

It won’t directly be used by Tyne Valley residents but these transformational projects create jobs and make our local economy stronger – benefitting us all.