Conservatives pledge major share of £4bn funding to Shropshire transport projects

The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is expected to confirm details of the funding on Monday – with promises that it will be given to local authorities for their own decisions on how to spend it.

In a statement issued ahead of the announcement West Midlands Conservatives said: "People living and working across Shropshire will see better public transport, reduced congestion and upgraded bus and rail stations as part of billions of pounds of local investment into towns, smaller cities, and rural areas across the Midlands."

Mr Sunak's announcement is expected to include the detail of how £2bn of money from the scrapped Northern leg of HS2 will go to local authorities across the Midlands, including in Shropshire, to spend on local transport improvements.

West Midlands Conservatives said: "Local authorities will be able to choose which local transport improvements to invest in, including refurbishing bus stations, filling potholes and installing more electric vehicle charging points.

"This will be part of more than £4bn due to be announced for local councils across the North and Midlands and will be available from 2025, giving local authorities time to draw up plans and be ready to go when the funding arrives."

The party said that the latest announcement was for "local authorities covering rural communities, towns and smaller cities", with funding previously announced for city regions, including the West Midlands Combined Authority.

It added: "This money will be a huge boost for so many people across Shropshire. It will be local people, rather than ministers in Whitehall, who will be able to decide what local transport improvements they spend this funding on."