Shrewsbury Bypass Funding Under Scrutiny Amid ‘Significant Weakness’ Report

Shropshire Council expresses confidence in securing the necessary government funding for a contentious bypass project in Shrewsbury, notwithstanding reservations regarding its financing strategy. The council aims for construction of the North West Relief Road (NWRR) to commence in 2025. An external audit report has criticized the council’s excessive reliance on a funding commitment from the former Conservative government for the project’s full cost, a commitment now uncertain due to the new Labour government’s review of the scheme. Additional deficiencies in the council’s funding arrangements were noted in the 2023-24 annual report. Among these was an inadequate contingency plan in the event of the road’s cancellation. The NWRR is designed to link Churncote Island on the A5, situated west of Shrewsbury, with the A528 Ellesmere Road to the north, thereby completing an A road loop around the town. This project has been contemplated for several decades. The most recent annual audit report, prepared by Grant Thornton for the council, indicated that the Department for Transport had agreed to provide £136m in funding in March 2024. However, Grant Thornton expressed reservations regarding the reliability of this offer, noting it was not formally documented and was made prior to July’s general election. Grant Thornton’s summary concluded that “significant weakness” was identified in the project’s funding and management during the 2023-24 period. In October, Shrewsbury’s Labour MP, Julia Buckley, received confirmation from the new transport minister, Lilian Greenwood, that funding for the road was not presently assured and was still undergoing review. Dan Morris, the councillor responsible for highways, stated that the authority was completing its comprehensive business case, which was initially scheduled for presentation to the full council in September prior to government submission. Nevertheless, this process has been postponed until the new year. “We know there are similar schemes to this nationally which have had 85% government funding,” Councillor Morris remarked. He added, “We remain hopeful it will still be the case for the relief road and we remain confident that it will happen.” Morris further stated, “We’re ploughing on with the road because it’s the right thing for Shropshire.” He concluded, “The hospital trust wants it, Shrewsbury’s Business Improvement District wants it, the Chamber of Commerce wants it.” The report contained data illustrating the project’s cost escalation from £87.1m in 2019, when its outline business case received approval, to £171m by June 2024. Additionally, opposition parties and environmental campaigners have recently criticized the council regarding the road’s potential environmental consequences. An updated document on the council’s planning website concerning the project’s greenhouse gas emissions indicated that carbon dioxide output over a 60-year timeframe might exceed a doubling, reaching 77,000 tonnes. A spokesperson for the council affirmed that a “full and robust” carbon management plan would be presented to the local planning authority (the council) for endorsement before construction commences.