Labour-led Cheshire East Council has been asked to re-think the Middlewich Eastern Bypass scheme in the light of significant delays, soaring costs and failure to submit a sufficiently robust business case.
Fiona Bruce MP (Congleton) who first secured nearly £57m Government funding for the scheme in 2017, stated today:
“I have spoken with the Roads Minister Guy Opperman MP. Construction start of Middlewich Eastern Bypass has had to be put on hold.
The Government has had to ask Labour led Cheshire East Council to rethink the scheme due to the high level of escalated costs which have arisen over the time it has taken the Council to proceed with Bypass plans since I obtained outline commitment from the Government several years ago.
The Government is now asking the Council to rethink the scheme to make sure it can happen and has requested further information from Cheshire East Council.
After so many years delay the Government now needs more information about the developer contribution and value for money aspects of the project from the Council and has asked Cheshire East to rescope the project given the Labour-led Council’s very significant proposed capital cost increases of over 50% since the Government accepted the original Outline Business Case.
I have long been pressing for work on Middlewich Bypass to start. No wonder residents are asking, “what has Labour been doing all this time?””
Minister for Roads, Guy Opperman MP stated:
“Though we approved the scheme at the previous business case stage, costs have risen and the overall value for money in the most recent Full Business Case provided us is poor. Therefore, I have been unable to give approval to allow the scheme to proceed into construction at this time.
I have asked the promoting authority, Cheshire East Council, to look again at the scheme costs.”
Cllr Janet Clowes (Conservative Group Leader) said;
“It is shocking that having received the funding required in 2017 and getting planning permission (submitted in 2018 and approved in 2019), that the Labour-Independent administration have consistently failed to deliver this much needed project.”
“The people of Middlewich have been severely let down by this Labour-led Cheshire East Administration. Had they commenced on schedule in 2019, the project would have been completed by now. Instead, the project has been altered, modified, required four more planning applications and in the meantime costs have risen out of control.”
“The Government is quite right to demand that Cheshire East Council re-thinks the current scheme, provides the robust business case required to justify the changes and importantly, their ability to deliver it.”
The Department of Highways and Local Transport have made it clear that they will work with Cheshire East Council to help ensure any revised Full Business Case is in as strong a position as possible. It is hoped that the Council will take full advantage of this offer to finally get this project moving.
