THE long-awaited visit of a transport minister to Pokesdown Railway Station has again been cancelled.

Minister Claire Perry MP was due to visit the station tomorrow morning to meet with campaigners hoping to get working lifts installed, as the 42 steps by which the platform is currently accessed make life difficult for the elderly, disabled and those with heavy baggage.

However, yesterday the Daily Echo learned that, due to a family bereavement, Ms Perry is pulling out of all her ministerial commitments to deal with funeral arrangements.

Residents and the community forum have been waiting months for the meeting to occur, after a previous engagement with Ms Perry’s predecessor Stephen Hammond had to be cancelled due to a Government reshuffle.

Forum secretary Andy Jones said he was "massively disappointed" given the effort put in to arrange the meeting.

“Needless to say that the committee is extremely disappointed not to have the opportunity to meet with her as it's taken such a long time to get this far, but given the circumstances for cancellation it is understandable," he said.

Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood's parliamentary assistant said a meeting was currently being arranged with Ms Perry’s fellow minister Baroness Kramer – who has responsibility for rail funding – at the Department for Transport to discuss access improvements at the station.

Mr Jones said: "We would be interested in meeting with Baroness Kramer of course, but we are disappointed to not be meeting a transport minister at the station, where they could meet the people who feel most strongly about the issue.

"That has very much been our focus, and something we still want to arrange, but it will probably be a while now."

Pokesdown Forum claims South West Trains should have selected the station for improvements under the Government’s Access for All scheme.

The station is below street level and down steep steps, but the train firm has claimed it does not receive enough passengers to qualify for the scheme.

The Echo understands that Ms Perry may still be visiting Bournemouth on the day to speak in her capacity as an MP at a lunch arranged back in January.