Mayors push for Snake Pass help amid 'deep concerns'

The mayors of Greater Manchester (Andy Burnham, left), East Midlands (Claire Ward, second from right) and South Yorkshire (Oliver Coppard, right) met in Buxton to announce the new "Peak Partnership"

Three regional mayors whose areas span the Snake Pass route say they want the government to do more to help maintain it amid "deep concern" about its future.

Concerns about the road were heard during the launch of the "Peak Partnership", a grouping of the mayors for the East Midlands, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire who plan to lobby the government on key issues affecting the Peak District.

Derbyshire County Council which is responsible for the road, which links Manchester and Sheffield, has warned it cannot afford to keep repairing it.

The government previously said it was "not responsible" for funding the road.

However funding was announced in July for works along the route, part of a government tranche of cash for road improvements.

Snake Pass is regarded as one of the most scenic driving roads in the UK, and is used by about 30,000 vehicles a week.

But it is also considered one of the "most high-risk" roads in England due to a series of steep bends, twists and blind junctions.

Collision data submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) states that, between 2018 and 2023, there were five fatalities along with 62 serious and 102 "slight" collisions.

It is often the subject of roadworks and closes regularly due to difficult weather or landslips, making it dangerous to drive along.

"We're starting that conversation", East Midlands mayor Claire Ward said when asked at a launch event for the partnership in Buxton whether the mayors would be appealing for specific regular funding for the route.

"We have to solve this problem, it can't carry on like this," she said.

"We recognise that [the route] is a big responsibility on Derbyshire County Council."

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said that "there's a conversation to be had about managing these roads in a different way".

"Snake Pass...should be considered key national infrastructure."

Burnham said there was no comparable situation elsewhere in the country where key infrastructure between two major cities was maintained by a local council as opposed to a body like National Highways.

"It's actually unfair to [Derbyshire County Council] with the budgets that they've got, the pressure on road budgets that we all know, the pothole challenges that we know, to leave them struggling with key national infrastructure," he said.

The Labour MP for High Peak Jon Pearce said the partnership addressed his previous concerns about the area being overlooked as part of the East Midlands Combined Authority

South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard said the Peak District was "held back" by transport and connectivity issues "every single day".

"I am deeply worried about the future of the Snake Pass," he said. "It's great we've had investment there but we need to be even more ambitious."

The mayors said the idea to join forces in a formal grouping was initially sparked by concerns about Snake Pass.

But Burnham said it was also hoped the partnership would address the issue of the Peak District being "overlooked" by Whitehall for decades in terms of its transport needs, and boosting connectivity will be a key focus.

The continuation of a scheme allowing for free bus travel for young people living in the High Peak area commuting into Greater Manchester was cited as a key area of collaboration.

The Bee Network extending further into the High Peak area is also seen as something that could bring "substantial benefits" to local residents.

The mayors will also hope to address tourism issues that regularly plague the Peak District, though all three mayors said they would oppose a charging scheme that the leader of Derbyshire County Council said he would be open to.

Ward said proposals for a new rail to link to connect beauty spots in the region in Buxton were being explored as one solution to address congestion problems.

Derbyshire County Council has asked the government for a "landslips fund" to keep the road open

Jon Pearce, the Labour member for High Peak in Derbyshire, who previously suggested that High Peak should be incorporated into the Greater Manchester region, said the new mayoral partnership represented a "step change" that addressed his concerns.

"This Peak Partnership is the best possible outcome we could've had," he said.

"My argument was we're on the edge of Derbyshire...and we've been forgotten about. This partnership...focuses in on my constituency. This is massive for us."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We are already investing £7.6m to help Derbyshire County Council deliver vital safety upgrades on the A57 Snake Pass, helping save lives and improve journeys, and have also provided the new East Midlands Combined County Authority with a significant boost in highways funding – over £75m this year to share on roads across the region."