'Openness, and transparency are not something the council recognises' - Councillor slams 'scandalous' handling of Shrewsbury’s North West Relief Road

The controversial project – now estimated to cost a huge £215m – has not been formally discussed by full council, although its updated draft Full Business Case (FBC) has been published.

Shropshire Council’s leader, Councillor Lezley Picton, announced last week she won’t be seeking re-election in May. However, on Friday (May 7), she wrote an open letter to Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood asking for the Government to reaffirm its support for the NWRR.

“In summary, the NWRR is a shovel-ready project with a high adjusted BCR score of 3.88, that offers significant benefits for economic growth and new housing delivery, reductions in congestion and air pollution, improvements to public transport and the delivery of our sustainable travel strategy,” said Cllr Picton.

“It can help the Government deliver on its priorities within the life of this parliament in a way that many schemes simply cannot.

“With the pre-election period beginning in Shropshire from Monday, March 10, I regret that I will not be able to see it come before the council personally.

“However, I very much hope that you, as minister, and the future leader of Shropshire Council, will endeavour to deliver this scheme in full.”

However, Councillor Rosemary Dartnall, the leader of the Labour group in Shropshire who represents Bayston Hill, Column and Sutton, says she was shocked to read the letter.

“For years, the controversial NWRR project has been mired in opaque and substandard governance, gravely criticised by Shropshire Council’s external auditors,” said Cllr Dartnall.

“We in the Labour Group firmly believe public spending, on any scale, should be justified openly and transparently. We find the Conservatives’ approach scandalous, particularly so considering the enormous sums of tax-payers money involved.

“In 2019 the project was expected to cost £71m. Today, at £215m there is a more than three-fold increase, in just six years for a four-mile road of dubious benefit.

“If the public chose to elect a Labour-run Shropshire Council in May, we will close the door on the past and cancel the NWRR application for funding.

“£39m wasted – enough is enough. We will ask Government for help to cover the huge sunk costs enthusiastically wasted by the Conservatives on this project. But more, we will seek Government investment in the future by promoting projects to alleviate local traffic congestion and prioritise Shrewsbury Moves as the first step in a masterplan for the county town.”

Councillor Roger Evans, co-leader of the Liberal Democrats representing Longden, added that Cllr Picton failed to mention that the road has not yet been given planning permission.”

The leader has acted against local democracy requesting something of the Minister that elected members have been unable to scrutinise, discuss or decide,” said Cllr Evans.

“After many times refusing to publish it, the FBC was cynically published during the last meeting of this council. Finally confessing that the road’s cost had increased by over £130m to a huge figure of £215m.

“The previous claim that it could not be published as it contained commercially confidential information was obviously bogus.

“The time and date for publishing was obviously pre-planned to deprive elected members from having any input into it.

“When asked, the chief executive confirmed he did know it was to be published. This was just days after assuring councillors that no debate on the NWRR would be held until June. Openness, and transparency, it appears, are not something the present council recognises.”