New Norfolk County Council leader to press for NDR road cash

Kay Mason-Billig is the newly elected leader of Norfolk County Council

A new council leader said she was determined to get money from government to pay for a controversial road.

County council leader Kay Mason-Billig said the Norwich Western Link (NWL) was a "vital piece of infrastructure" for Norfolk.

The route to connect the A47 to Norwich's Northern Distributor Road is currently expected to cost £250m.

The Department for Transport has approved the project and was expected to provide most of the funding.

Ms Mason-Billig said she would continue to press government to commit to covering 85% of the total cost, which rose from £198m last year.

She is taking over from former leader at the Conservative-run authority Andrew Proctor, who stood down in March due to health reasons.

She was voted in at a meeting of the council on Tuesday, defeating Graham Plant, the previous deputy leader.

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

"We have a very large programme which I am keen to continue that was part of Andrew Proctor's legacy," said Ms Mason-Billig. She added the council would be prioritising economic growth and social services for adults, children and families.

Ms Mason-Billig, who represents Loddon ward, said she was totally behind calls for fairer funding for rural areas.

"Norfolk is such a rural place; it's very difficult to deliver social care in this sort of environment, because of the distances you have to travel, because of the way the population are disparate," she said.

"So we need government to recognise that it's more expensive to deliver that sort of care in Norfolk and to reward us."

Three major A47 infrastructure projects for the county are being considered in the High Court this week, after environmentalists brought the cases to try and stop their development.

The A47 is the responsibility of National Highways, and the legal decision on two dualling projects, between Blofield and North Burlingham and Easton and North Tuddenham and the expansion of the Thickthorn roundabout, was expected to have an impact on the NWL, which is a county council project.

"We'll have to watch the outcome there, but I believe it will be the right one; I believe it will happen," said the new council leader.