North West Relief Road would have been built if not for Shropshire Council's money worries, councillor suggests

That is the impression that the councillor with responsibility for finance gave at a scutiny committee this week.

Initially, the cost of constructing the road that would link the northern and western parts of Shrewsbury was estimated to be £87.2 million.

However, due to planning delays, significant increases in global construction costs, and concerns with the scheme’s governance arrangements, the forceast ballooned to £215m.

Officers from the Department for Transport confirmed to the council that the department would not award any more money than had been originally allocated to the project. Therefore, in June, Shropshire Council confirmed that it had paused all work.

At a Transformation and Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Monday (September 8), Councillor Ed Bird (Conservative, Shifnal South) asked what the council’s policy was regarding the project – whether to cancel or continue with it - and, if it was cancelled, the likelihood of having to pay back the whole amount.

In response, Councillor Roger Evans, the portfolio holder for finance, reaffirmed that the scheme had not been cancelled but paused.

“If it said it was cancelled, then we will have commissioners sat behind me, pulling my strings telling me what to do,” said Councillor Evans.

“It is paused and discussions are going on with the Government because we, councillors, were only told in February what the revised cost of the NWRR is, although many people in this council knew what it was the end of last year.

“But they refused to do it because of confidentiality. And then it was disclosed in February. I would like to build the NWRR but the conditions this council has been left in, it is not possible.”