Funds must be secured for collapsed road, MP says

Galley Hill Road has been closed since April 2023 after the road collapsed due to a landslip

A council has been urged to apply for government funding to help repair a road which collapsed two years ago.

Part of Galley Hill Road, at the edge of Swanscombe Quarry in Kent, collapsed after a landslip in April 2023 and has been shut ever since.

The government recently committed £92bn for road and rail repair projects and Dartford MP Jim Dickson said he will be "calling out" the Kent County Council if it fails to apply for some of that funding.

The council said it was preparing a case for the funding but that it could not rely solely on the government to pay for the repairs.

Councillor Peter Osborne, member for highways and transport, said: "At present, the project has no funding so we are preparing a business case to apply for support from any available source.

"While we're hopeful about the newly-announced funding, we can't rely solely on this initiative and we are continuing to explore all possible options in order to try to move the project forward."

Mr Dickson spoke about Galley Hill Road in the House of Commons on Wednesday

The new funding was created after Mr Dickson pressured the government, along with Swanscombe residents, the MP said.

"I'm urging Kent County Council to put in a really good bid so we can get Galley Hill Road back up and running as soon as possible," he said.

"I will be giving them every encouragement and I'll be calling them out if they fail to do that."

He said the transport funding structures are set up to deal with issues like Galley Hill Road, "so it's very much up to Kent to take advantage of the opportunity".

Mr Dickson also said he was confident Galley Hill Road would be "right at the front of the queue" for funding.