£160m Shrewsbury North West Relief Road deal could be signed by end of the year, hustings told
Shrewsbury's long awaited north west relief road could be given the go ahead by the end of the year, a hustings event heard.
Incumbent MP and Conservative candidate Daniel Kawczynski told the Shrewsbury Business Club event that should he be re-elected next week he is confident he can get the £160 million road deal signed by the end of 2016.
That brought a retort from Green Party candidate Emma Bullard who said: "You should be ashamed. The road will bring cause massive environmental damage.The £160m cost can't be justified."
Business rates and education were also on the agenda at the hustings.
Questions from the audience at the evening at Shrewsbury College brought the debate back to local issues.
Education was a hot topic with the Conservatives and Labour both blamed for cuts in funding for schools.
Liberal Democrat candidate, Hannah Fraser, said her party had called on Shropshire Council to plug the gap in funding left by government education cuts.
"I fear for the education of my children and your children," she said.
Mr Kawczynski said Shropshire schools had a bad deal.
He said Labour gave funding to inner city areas to the expense of countryside.
Labour would create a National Education Service, the Labour candidate, Laura Davies, said.
There were audience questions about help to business and business rates.
Edward Higginbottom, for UKIP, said his party would scrap the HS2 trains and use the money to improve mainline services.
"I would electrify the lines from Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton and to Chester," he said.
Ms Bullard said her party would help small businesses which kept money local.
She said there should also be more emphasis on cycling and walking.
Laura Davies said Labour would drop the rate of corporation tax for businesses with small profits while increase the rate for those with large profits.
There was a pledge from Daniel Kawczynski who said: "If I am elected I will take a delegation from Shrewsbury Business Improvement District to meet the Secretary of State to campaign against increases in business rates."
