Oxfordshire MP raises concerns about lack of infrastructure to cope with new homes in the county
Calum Miller says, “we really need to see the infrastructure come first”
An Oxfordshire MP is concerned about the infrastructure to support new homes being built in the county, saying “our electricity and energy supply simply cannot come with what we’ve got just now”.
It comes after the Chancellor set out her plans to make the area between Oxford and Cambridge the 'Silicone Valley of Europe'.
In Rachel Reeves speech to 'kickstart economic growth' in Eynsham at the end of last month, she announced support for the development of new and expanded communities in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
The Chancellor says the corridor between the two cities could add £78 billion to the UK's economy by 2035.
"We haven't got the infrastructure right"
Calum Miller, Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock says he “hears from businesses and households that they simply can't get a connection” to energy supply.
He added: “One of the things I'm very concerned about is that across the area I represent, we've seen a lot of housing growth, with more planned in the near future, and this announcement could lead to even more.
“The point that I'm raising in Parliament and will be raising with the Chancellor and other ministers is around the infrastructure to support that.
“I raised with energy ministers, the fact that The Cooper School and Glory Farm school in Bicester has had a full day’s outage and that just reflects the fact that our electricity and energy supplies simply can't cope with what we've got just now.
“Businesses can't get more energy to grow their business and households, if they want to invest in an electric vehicle, can't always get the connection they need. That just shows that we haven't got the infrastructure right.”
The Liberal Democrat will be raising to Government that “we've got to get the infrastructure, before we get all the new homes”.
Mr Miller says it is “so that we can accommodate those homes, as they're really needed by lots of families, especially social housing.
“We really need to see the infrastructure come first”.