Sir Gavin Williamson has asked the Transport Secretary to intervene over planned parking charges at Stone railway station.
The Conservative MP for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge has written to Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport, after London Northwestern Railway confirmed it intends to introduce parking charges at Stone.
The move was confirmed after A Little Bit of Stone reported that a covered machine had appeared on Station Approach.
In his letter, dated Wednesday 17 June 2026, Sir Gavin said local residents and businesses were concerned about the plans, as well as the lack of prior announcement or consultation.
Sir Gavin wrote
“I, along with countless local residents and businesses throughout Stone, are extremely concerned by the impending parking charges at Stone Railway Station.
In the absence of any prior official announcement or consultation, a ticket machine appeared on Station Road. London Northwestern Railway have since confirmed its intention to introduce parking charges, however, they released no further details.”
The rail operator has confirmed its intention to introduce charges, but has not yet announced the start date, tariff or exact details of the scheme.
In his letter, Sir Gavin linked the decision to the transfer of West Midlands Trains into public ownership.
He wrote
“LNR, as a brand of West Midlands Trains, was amongst the first train operators to be nationalised by the current government, with more due to follow suit.
Within four months of WMT entering into public ownership, commuters are being burdened with yet more costs.”
He also referred to comments made when Labour announced its rail policy in 2024.
Sir Gavin wrote
“When Labour launched this policy in 2024, your predecessor said ‘a publicly owned railway will be single-mindedly focused on delivering for passengers and will be held to account on delivering reliable, safe, efficient, accessible, affordable and quality services’.”
The MP said the issue went beyond station users, with concerns that charges could push more cars into nearby residential streets.
He wrote
“The impact will go far beyond passengers; many residents of nearby streets have contacted me, anxious that these charges will result in cars being inconsiderately parked outside their homes.
This could prevent them from parking near to their homes and potentially obstruct access to larger vehicles and the emergency services.”
Sir Gavin also said the decision could discourage greater use of train services and affect future decisions on service levels.
He has asked the Transport Secretary to hold London Northwestern Railway to account and intervene to reverse the decision.
London Northwestern Railway previously told A Little Bit of Stone that it intends to introduce parking charges at Stone, saying the move would bring the site in line with other similar stations on its network.
The operator said revenue from car parking charges is used to improve services and reduce the cost of running the railway to the taxpayer.
It also said it was still working through the details of the charging scheme, including the implementation date, which would be shared in due course.
