Call to halt relief road until finance confirmed

Protesters staged a demonstration at a council meeting as plans for the road were approved earlier this year

Opposition members on Shropshire Council have said they will call for work to be suspended on Shrewsbury’s controversial relief road until the new government confirms a commitment to paying for it.

Plans for the North West Relief Road (NWRR) - a 7km-stretch of road completing a full ring-road - were approved earlier this year, despite opposition.

About £17m of extra capital funding was agreed after that to begin enabling works and complete the full business case which is set to be submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) later this year.

In a motion to the council later this month, Liberal Democrat leader Roger Evans will call for works to cease until the incoming government confirms it will be fully funded.

In February, Guy Opperman, the former Tory transport minister, said government funding remained on the cards for the road, but will not be awarded until the scheme was finalised.

The then transport secretary Mark Harper had appeared to confirm in a media interview in October that the government would fund the scheme to completion.

“This promise [was] only made by a former minister and this council has never had confirmation in writing that extra funding would be provided,” said Mr Evans.

The relief road will run from Churncote Roundabout to Ellesmere Road Roundabout

“In fact, government officers have, despite several requests, refused to confirm any increase in funding to build the North West Relief Road.

“Since no firm promises have been made, and with both the change in government and the precarious state of this council’s finances, the Liberal Democrat Group propose that this council suspends its agreement to spend any more money on the North West Relief Road project until confirmation to fund the building of the road is received from our new government.”

The motion set to go before the Conservative-led council will call for a “moratorium” on all work associated with the new road.

It will be discussed at a meeting of the council on 18 July.

In her first treasury speech earlier, new chancellor Rachel Reeves said the new government would prioritise decisions on infrastructure projects as part of her plans to “get Britain building again”.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.