Jonathan Gullis MP & local leaders recently welcomed the Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper to Stoke-on-Trent North, on Wednesday.
Starting with a visit to Stoke North based Browns Distribution, the Secretary of State met with Managing Director David, his senior staff and a number of their drivers.
The Secretary of State heard about some of the challenges facing the industry post-pandemic - and where these industry experts feel improvements need to me made, for example overnight facilities and conditions for drivers.
Following the meeting, Jonathan and Mark Harper then received an excellent tour of their new site, and Mark was keen to learn more about the range of aspects of the business.
For the second part of the visit, the group visited Kidsgrove Railway Station.
Here, they spoke about the issues faced with Network Rail on the station redevelopment project, and the wider delivery on the £17.6 million secured for the Kidsgrove Town Deal.
Jonathan Gullis MP said "It's fantastic that Mark Harper made the time to visit Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke to meet with local businesses and to discuss issues with Network Rail. I'm pleased that the Secretary of State will be trying to assist where he can in resolving the issues discussed and will continue to press the Government until postive changes take place."
Three local authorities attended and provided their input during the visit - Cllr Simon Tagg, leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council; Cllr Philip White, deputy leader of Staffordshire County Council and Cllr Paul Waring, Chair of Kidsgrove Town Council.