West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin this week confirmed that she has been offered Government support for her campaign to improve the train service between the county and London. The MP was speaking after receiving a letter from Transport Minister Mike Penning backing her stance on an improved service along the Cotswold Line. Harriett set out a case for major service improvements to be part of the new franchise requirement. The Government is currently running a consultation process on the franchise bids and will set out its plans later this year. The Minister this week wrote to Harriett and said that the Department would take her concerns about the franchise ‘very seriously’. Harriett commented: “I am grateful that the Minister took the time to answer some of my specific questions about the London train service. “It shows that the Department is listening to our concerns and I hope that this will be reflected in a requirement for substantial service improvements from the new franchise holder. “The consultation is open until the end of March and I hope as many people as possible will take part to make sure that the Government gets the message that we need a much, much better service for our Cotswold line users.”