Anger at delays to Shropshire road improvements

Heather Kidd, Shropshire Councillor for Chirbury and Worthen, tackled Graham Dalton, chief executive of the Highways Agency in England, over the lack of progress on the A483 between Welshpool and Oswestry.

Ms Kidd said: "The A483 is a key arterial road for us living on the Powys/ Shropshire border. Not only does it connect us with Oswestry and Wrexham but with other destinations further afield like Chester and Manchester Airport.

"The road crosses the England/Wales border four times between Welshpool and Chester. It's been pretty clear that the lack of progress in upgrading the road is due to a lack of co-operation between the Highways Agency and its Welsh opposite number the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency."

Campaigners have been fighting for a bypass to Llanymynech and Pant, and improvements between Llynclys Crossroads and Oswestry on the A483 for many years.

Ms Kidd had the chance to question Mr Dalton at a meeting organised by the Local Government Association last Thursday on the future of highways in England. The Highways Agency is being turned into a Government-owned company.

She said: "I am concerned that this change will make working with The Welsh Trunk Road Agency even more difficult and make this lack of progress even worse.

"Mr Dalton blamed the high turnover in staff at the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency as the main reason for the delay – a pretty lame excuse for years of delay.

"However, Mr Dalton maintains that the new company will be better and give better value for money. If that is the case then the A483 stands a better chance. This road is a vital connection for many of us and especially as access to the Orthopaedic Hospital at Gobowen.

"I've asked local Assembly Member, William Powell, to take this up with the minister in Cardiff, Edwina Hart AM, as a matter of urgency.

"This will not be the first time that an issue has stagnated because English and Welsh Civil servants are not talking to each other."