Shrewsbury councillor calls for inquiry into 'poor management' of relief road project

Councillor David Vasmer, who is the Shadow portfolio holder for highways for the Liberal Democrats, says the council “has failed to hit numerous deadlines so that a road that was originally planned for completion next year has not been started”, with an external auditor saying is has not made plans in the event of the project being cancelled.

Ahead of a meeting on Tuesday (January 28), Cllr Vasmer is asking that Shrewsbury Town Council demands that an inquiry is appointed by Shropshire Council to investigate the poor management of the NWRR, and makes recommendations about how capital projects can be better managed by all councils in the future.

“The original cost of the NWRR was £71m in 2019 and, on this basis, the Government pledged funding of £54m with a clear warning that any cost increases would be the responsibility of Shropshire Council,” said Cllr Vasmer.

“That meant the total cost to Shropshire Council at that time was estimated at £17m. In 2021 on the basis of the Outline Business Case, the cost of the NWRR was estimated at £81m meaning that the cost to Shropshire Council had now risen to £27m.

“Before Christmas, Shropshire’s external auditor confirmed that the cost of the NWRR had now gone up to £178m and the council’s contribution to £124m. The Environment Agency were never happy about the route of the road since a major roundabout junction was placed directly over ground from which much of Shrewsbury’s water is drawn.

“They have therefore been very reluctant to support the application because the spillage of any toxic substance would make the ground water unusable while piling work could also damage the town’s water supply.

“The NWRR will be a major contributor to the release of carbon which was underestimated when the road was first planned. Recently Shropshire Council has been forced to admit that the contribution has more than doubled from 26,711 tonnes of carbon to 55,904.

“Originally, it had been estimated that the scheme’s impact could be mitigated by 2030, but now Shropshire has asked the Northern Planning Committee to revise a condition so that it has until 2050 to offset the road’s emissions.

“A further £17m of spending was approved in February 2024 and it has been reported that over £21m has already been spent on the road before work has even started.”