Council leader warns scrapping Northumberland transport projects would be 'disaster'

It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a review into ‘unfunded’ transport costs across the country.

In a speech in the House of Commons on Monday, she claimed that an audit of the country’s finances had uncovered a £22 billion black hole.

Ms Reeves warned that “if we cannot afford it, we cannot do it”.

The A303 (the Stonehenge tunnel), and A27 (Arundel bypass) were both singled out to be scrapped.

However, other projects are also likely to be scrapped with transport secretary Louise Haigh to carry out a review of unfunded projects.

Ms Reeves said: “The previous Government made a series of commitments on transport – promises people expected to be delivered. Promises that many members across this house campaigned on in good faith.

“But the party opposite has failed them. We have seen the chaos that the previous Government presided over.

“Projects over budget and delayed again and again. The spending audit has revealed £1 billion in unfunded transport projects that have been committed to next year.

“The transport secretary will undertake a thorough review of these commitments. As part of that work, she has agreed not to move forward with projects the previous Government refused to publicly cancel, despite knowing full well they were unaffordable.”

Just days after the election was called, the previous Government announced it would give the project to dual the A1 the green light following a number of lengthy delays.

The Conservative leader of Northumberland County Council, Glen Sanderson, was also concerned about the projects to deliver the Blyth Relief Road and improvements to the Moor Farm roundabout on the A19 at Cramlington.

Cllr Sanderson said: “We need to know the detail – but clearly we have spent a lot of time and money on the projects to dual the A1, improve the Moor Farm Roundabout and build the Blyth Relief Road. It would be disastrous if any of these were dropped.

“The Blyth Relief Road is a key part of levelling up. If scrapped we’d be back down to the old days of levelling down.

“On the A1, work is about to get the green light, so it would be madness not to proceed given the millions spent getting to this stage. The previous Government committed to the A1, that means the funding would have followed.

“We were also confident that they would have agreed to the business case for the Blyth Relief Road.”

Responding to Ms Reeves’ comments in Parliament, shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “The chancellor will fool absolutely no-one with a shameless attempt to lay the ground for tax rises she didn’t have the courage to tell us about.

“This will be the biggest betrayal by a chancellor in history, and working families will never forgive her.”