No decision yet on town's relief road - minister

Minister Lilian Greenwood said her government was still reviewing the relief road scheme

A proposed northern bypass for a Shropshire town is still being reviewed by the government, despite a council saying it is cancelled.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said a decision on funding for the North West Relief Road for Shrewsbury would be made following a review of more than 40 major road projects.

But Shropshire Council's leader insisted the four-mile (6.4km) long carriageway, with an estimated cost of £215m, was "dead in the water", after the government previously said it would not give extra cash towards paying for it.

Greenwood said her department was talking with the authority about what its future plans were around the "affordability and deliverability" of the road.

"I know it's been controversial and I've spoken with Julia Buckley, the local MP about it," Greenwood said.

"The truth is, the last government made wild plans which they knew they could never possibly fund.

"We're having to take an honest look at some of the promises made and work out, in conjunction with local authorities, which ones we can afford to deliver."

Campaigners did not want Shropshire Council to borrow more than £150m to pay for the relief road

The previous Conservative government said it would fully fund the relief road using money saved from the cancellation of the second leg of the HS2 rail scheme.

But Shrewsbury's Labour MP Julia Buckley said money was never identified and secured.

The road was placed under review by the Labour government within months of the party winning the general election and remains "under consideration".

The new Liberal Democrat-run council has already said it is unwilling to borrow money to meet a funding shortfall for the scheme of about £156m.

The authority wants some of the initial Department for Transport funding awarded in 2019, worth £54.4m, to instead be spent on other projects around Shrewsbury.

About £20m of the government investment has already been spent.

Greenwood would neither confirm or deny whether the council would have to pay the money back if it continued with its efforts to cancel the project.