I’VE been writing to our MP and our new Conservative candidate. This is my latest letter to them:

It’s exceedingly depressing that simple questions are not answered by our supposed “representatives”. Ms McIntosh simply doesn’t reply, and Mr Hollinrake soon gives up bothering. The East Coast Main Line is important to me, both as a passenger and a taxpayer.

No one seems to have any rational answer to the question of why the present operator of East Coast Main Line should not be considered for the new franchise.

Just to remind you, the present operator has the best customer service rating of any long distance railway and has paid over a billion pounds to the Exchequer. Previous operators ran into financial difficulties and paid far less.

Quite apart from the lack of rational justification for excluding an operator who has a demonstrable record of success, unlike previous operators, there seems no consistent principle at work. The latest rail franchise decision gave ScotRail to Abellio for 10 years.

Abellio is part of the Dutch state rail operator. Arriva runs five rail franchises and is part of Deutsche Bahn, the German state rail operator. Keolis is involved in a number of franchises and is part of SNCF, the French state rail operator. One of the bidders for East Coast is a partnership between Keolis and Eurostar, which is controlled by SNCF.

What exactly, apart from prejudice, is the reason for excluding our own Direct Operated Railways from bidding for the East Coast Main Line, after they have demonstrated their ability to run it so well? Why should passengers and taxpayers be saddled with an inferior option?

When our “representatives” refuse to deal with such simple, direct questions, what is the point of all the hand wringing by politicians over voter disengagement?

Martin Brampton, Kirkbymoorside