'Show us the money!' Campaigners call for answers over North West Relief Road funding

Better Shrewsbury Transport (BeST), which has campaigned against the road, has asked Shropshire Council to answer five questions in relation to the project.

The Shropshire Star has put the questions to the council – and its response has not addressed the specific issues raised.

BeST has asked how much the road will cost, how much the Department for Transport has committed to spend on the project, and who is responsible for costs potentially overrunning.

The organisation has also asked for answers relating to measures for the protection of Shrewsbury's drinking water – a concern previously raised by the Environment Agency – including who will bear the cost of any damage to the borehole which provides the water.

The issue has been a major element of the planning application for the road, due to its proximity to the Shelton borehole.

Mike Streetly from BeST said: "Both Shropshire Council and the Department for Transport (DfT) need to be transparent with residents. How much exactly has the DfT pledged to spend on this road?

"Are they writing a blank cheque to cover all of the costs or not? In the words of Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire: 'Show us the money!'

"Taxpayers in Shropshire are already worried about the council’s solvency and the North West Relief Road has the potential to push this administration into bankruptcy. We urgently need to know what the DfT is committed to spending."

The issues over the finance of the road remain unclear.

Shropshire Council says it believes the Government will pay the full cost of building the road – pointing to comments from the Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, who gave a TV interview last year saying it would be fully funded.

But, neither the Government or the council have yet given formal confirmation that the funding is in place.

That comes as question marks remain over the exact cost of the road. Previous estimates pitched the cost at £81m, but the expectations are that it will cost considerably more to build at current prices.

Mr Streetly said: "Nobody wants to confirm how much that funding is."

He added: "We urgently need to know who will pay for this road. It’s time for the DfT and Shropshire Council to tell the truth. What is the current level of funding that the DfT is committed to?"

Responding to the queries from BeST, a spokesman for the council said: "In October 2023 the Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper said the Government would 'fully fund' the scheme.

"Senior council officers are in regular contact with the Department for Transport (DfT) and have been given no reason to believe that Government support for the North West Relief Road will be nothing other than that announced by the Secretary of State on TV, fully funded.

"As many are aware, the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road was granted planning permission, subject to agreement of the Section 106 and conditions on October 31, 2023.

"There is no re-application process and the final decision will be made once the Section 106 and conditions are agreed. But planning approval is just the start.

"Once the final decision notice is issued then the final business case (FBC) can be completed.

"This will spell out clearly the costs of the scheme (currently estimated at £80.1 million), based on market procurement and how it would be funded.

“The FBC will then be discussed by full council, before being submitted to the DfT.

“It’s only when the scheme receives DfT approval that we can complete the procurement process and work can start."

Following the publication of a Shropshire Star article examining the funding arrangements for the relief road last month the Department for Transport said: "Thanks to reallocated funding from HS2, every penny of the £9.6 billion committed to the Midlands leg of HS2 will be reinvested in transport across the Midlands, including the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road.

"As is the usual process, the Government has approved funding towards the scheme and the council now needs to submit a Full Business Case to the Department, at which point it can be fully assessed."