Councillors have 'no intention of resigning' over handling of North West Relief Road scheme

The multi-million pound project will create a ring road around the north west of Shrewsbury, which Shropshire Council says will help reduce congestion and pollution.

However, it has been reported that it will now cost £178m to complete – more than double the £81m that was originally forecast.

An external auditor’s report also criticised the council’s handling of the project, saying it does not have an adequate plan to finance it, while the estimated carbon emissions that the road will generate has also skyrocketed.

The scheme was the main topic of conversation at a full council meeting on Thursday (December 12), with members of the public and councillors asking questions. One was from Paul Cawthorne, who asked if Councillor Dan Morris, the portfolio holder for highways, and Councillor Brian Williams, chairman of the Audit Committee, would resign.

“Many of my questions to the council in the past about the viability of the proposed Shrewsbury NWRR proposal seem to have been treated rather dismissively without full consideration of their underlying prudence, as have the protests of hundreds of locals, sceptical of the wisdom of continued spending on the controversial and insecure NWRR proposal,” said Mr Cawthorne.

“Now the council’s external auditor has confirmed that the current cost of building the road is £178m, more than double the original, and that funding has not been secured.

“But our greatest present concern is that there seems to be no plan to deal with the road’s cancellation, which seems scandalous given the lack of funding and the millions that have already been spent.

“What has been called 'the gross mismanagement' of the NWRR project could bankrupt the council, according to an experienced local politician.

“Members of the public, whether they supported or opposed the relief road, will now be demanding some accountability, given cutbacks to support services for vulnerable local people that have happened while spending on this road project has continued.

“Therefore, will Councillor Morris and Councillor Williams resign?”

In response, Councillor Morris said: “In our opinion, we do not believe that your previous questions around this project have been treated dismissively, and we do not recognise your allegations.

“I can confirm that neither myself nor the chairman of the Audit Committee have any intention of resigning.”

Responding to other questions, Councillor Morris said the project “at all times looks to use the latest and most credible methodology when assessing its impacts and benefits,” adding that “there is no direct impact on the council’s revenue budget”.

“If the NWRR spending created a cashflow implication, this would be managed as part of the council’s treasury management processes in line with the treasury strategy, capital strategy and medium-term financial strategy, all approved by council annually,” said Coucillor Morris.