Government pledges 'unprecedented' £243m to improve transport links in Shropshire
Shropshire will have £243m to spend on transport improvements through a new Government fund created by scrapping the northern leg of HS2.
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The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed the county's share of the planned 'Local Transport Fund' – with £136.4m for Shropshire Council, and £107m for Telford & Wrekin Council.
The money, from a £1.2bn West Midlands fund created with money saved from the scrapped northern leg of HS2, will be available from April 2025 – and will be provided over seven years, according to the Government.
It said councils which receive the money will be able to decide how to spend the allocation themselves – asking local authorities to "invest in the transport projects that matter most to their communities – helping create jobs, grow the economy, and level up the country".
According to the announcement the funding will be on average "at least nine times more than these local authorities currently receive".
The Government said the funding is the "first fully devolved transport budget of its kind for smaller cities, towns and rural areas".
It added that councils will be "expected to publish their delivery plans for which projects they wish to invest in".
