Shrewsbury MP under fire over Environment Agency contacts – but says he is just 'doing my job'

The response shows the MP has contacted the EA on more than 40 occasions since last May – either by e-mail, Whatsapp, letter or a physical meeting.

The messages include a letter to the Environment Secretary Terese Coffey where Mr Kawczynski says: "Environmental factors need to be considered but I feel that the EA's continuous demands and ability to obstruct the process over the past four years are excessive."

The issue comes as the EA remains the main stumbling block to Shropshire Council securing planning permission for the NWRR, due to the agency's long-standing concerns about the potential for construction work to damage Shrewsbury's water supply.

The same concerns have also been raised by Severn Trent, with the council recently abandoning a plan to take the application to its planning committee for determination until the issue is resolved.

Mike Streetly, from Better Transport Shrewsbury, which is opposed to the NWRR, was responsible for submitting the FOI, and described the frequency of messages as "disturbing", saying the MP's actions repeatedly "undermine" the EA, which is trying to "protect the drinking water we all rely on".

But Mr Kawczynski said that the information shows his commitment and persistence to serving constituents, which he says opponents of the project are "desperately trying to spin as harassment".

He added that he would continue to contact the EA "until their concerns are eventually answered".

The messages show Mr Kawczynski's frustration at delays to the road – although he has repeatedly voiced the same frustrations publicly.

Mr Streetly said that the communication with the EA ignores "the fact that Shropshire Council still hasn't properly explained how the vital borehole will be protected".

He also criticised Mr Kawczynski for trying to "force a resolution" over the issue.

"As Shrewsbury residents, we would rather have safe, clean drinking water in our taps than a destructive, expensive new road that isn't fit for purpose," he added.

Responding to the claims Mr Kawczynski said the "vast majority" of his constituents were in favour of the road, and it is his "job to ask questions" after four years of delays to the project.

He said: "In 2019, I helped secure £55 million to fund the construction of the North West Relief Road, a much-needed infrastructure project that I am determined to see completed.

"Once the road has been constructed, it will transform Shrewsbury by alleviating congestion, reducing pollution, and unlocking the town’s economic prosperity.

"Four and a half years later, the project is still not before a planning committee. The delays caused by the Environment Agency’s concerns have prevented further progress towards constructing the road.

"I have been regularly contacting the Environment Agency to understand and accelerate resolving their concerns. Our correspondence has now been released via a freedom of information request."

Mr Kawczynski continued: "The vocal minority activists who want to stop the road altogether have spun me contacting the Environment Agency as ‘harassment’.

"As the local Member of Parliament, I am accountable to over 80,000 constituents and I know, from them contacting me, that the vast majority want the road.

"What my opponents are desperately trying to spin as harassment is actually, and clearly, my determined and persistent interest and efforts to serve my constituents by lobbying for our desire to have the road.

"I am going to continue to contact the Environment Agency until their concerns are eventually answered. I am so proud of Shrewsbury, and everyone wants to see it develop sustainably. When the road is built, finally, it will do just that."