Norfolk County Council accused of risking finances on link road

The Norwich Western Link would extend the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) by three miles, by joining the A1067 Fakenham Road to the A47

Norfolk County Council has been accused of "playing Russian Roulette" by risking its financial reserves on securing a controversial link road.

The 3.9-mile (6.2km) route could connect the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) to the A47, west of Norwich.

Opposition councillors claim the ruling Conservative group in Norfolk ignored advice to create a contingency fund.

Finance officer Simon George told a scrutiny meeting he felt "comfortable" the reserves could hold up.

The Norwich Western Link is currently anticipated to cost about £198m, of which about £30m will be covered by the county council, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The authority hopes the remaining £168m will be covered by the government.

'Horrific recklessness'

Steve Morphew, leader of the Labour group and chairman of the scrutiny committee, said the council's corporate risk register states "contingency planning" for money already spent on the project should be in place, in the event the scheme is turned down.

Mr Morphew said the scheme, if rejected, would "to all intents and purposes, wipe out our reserves".

Green councillor Jamie Osborn echoed his concerns.

"The Conservatives are playing Russian Roulette with the future finances of Norfolk," he told the meeting.

"With horrific recklessness, they are gambling everything they have on the ever-shrinking chance that the government will provide the money they need to get themselves out of the hole they've dug for themselves."

Campaigner David Pett, from Stop the Wensum Link group, said gambling on Norfolk's future for the sake of a three-mile bypass "defies all rational belief",

Mr George said it would take three to four years to rebuild reserves, but it was not practical to have such contingency money in place for every large project.