Cancellation of Newark A46 bypass scheme a “difficult decision”
The armed forces minister said she understood residents’ frustration
The cancellation of the Newark A46 bypass scheme was a “difficult decision”, the armed forces minister has said amid growing condemnation at the move.
Improvements to the heavily-congested bypass were scrapped earlier this week in a bid to raise money for an extra £15 billion in defence funding.
Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire MPs have reacted to the news with anger, with one calling it “shameful”.
The government gave the green light to the bypass last year, only to cancel a key contract this week.
It said some infrastructure projects which are “not immediately vital” will be paused in order to find extra cash for the government’s long-term Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
Armed Forces Minister Louise Sandher-Jones said she understood residents’ frustration as she visited RAF Coningsby on Thursday (July 2).
“I completely get this, I’m an East Midlands MP myself from North East Derbyshire,” she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
“I’ve seen first hand how the East Midlands hasn’t always got the investment we’ve seen elsewhere in the country. I find it frustrating too.
“We’ve had to make difficult choices but what I found speaking to people on the doorstep is people really recognise the threat we’re facing at the moment – the most serious in my lifetime.
“We need to up defence spending as part of that, and there are difficult decisions to be made.”
A consultation will be held before any final decision on the bypass is made.
The project would have added a flyover and more dual carriageways for the busy road, which carries an average of 15,000 vehicles per day.
Labour MP Hamish Falconer said: “I support further funding for the DIP, but the A46 upgrade programme is well-advanced, long-awaited, excellent value for money and of strategic importance to both Lincoln and the region.”
He said he would speak to the new Prime Minister urgently about whether there was a way to save the project.
Reform MP Robert Jenrick, who represents Newark, said: “I’m furious that such an important project for the area has been thrown into disarray.”
“It is shameful that such a big decision has been snuck out by the government without any debate.”